Irvin Mayfield and Ronald Markham, a pair of musicians-turned-impresarios who had worked to put New Orleans’s jazz scene back on its feet after Hurricane Katrina, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to conspiracy to commit fraud, capping a precipitous fall from grace that now leaves them each facing up to five years in prison. The charges stem from a yearslong scheme that federal prosectors said redirected over $1.3 million from the New Orleans Public Library Foundation into the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, which Mr. Mayfield and Mr. Markham ran — and into their own pockets. Mr. Mayfield, a trumpeter, and Mr. Markham, a pianist, had maintained their innocence since their indictment more than three years ago on charges that included fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors dropped all but one charge for each: conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Mr. Mayfield and Mr. Markham signed a plea deal in July, but because of the coronavirus pandemic the courthouse had remained closed until this month.

Source: International New York Times November 11, 2020 00:56 UTC