NEW ORLEANS — Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin, who led the city during its darkest days after Hurricane Katrina, will be thrust back into the spotlight this week when he goes on trial in a corruption case that mushroomed at the end of his eight-year tenure.
Even before the allegations, Nagin’s popularity steadily eroded as the city struggled to recover from Katrina’s devastation. He has kept a low profile since leaving office in 2010.
Nagin was living in a Dallas suburb when a grand jury indicted him a year ago on charges he accepted free trips and more than $200,000 in bribes from contractors in exchange for helping them secure lucrative city contracts.
The investigation has already produced convictions or guilty pleas by former Nagin associates who could be key prosecution witnesses at the trial, scheduled to start Monday with jury selection.
Nagin’s 21-count indictment includes bribery and wire fraud charges, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years and 20 years in prison, respectively.
More than a year before he left office, the Democrat vowed that he would retire from politics at the end of his second term.
He kept that promise, surfacing only occasionally for speaking engagements and to promote a self-published memoir about his Katrina experiences.
Clancy Dubos, co-owner and political columnist at the Gambit weekly newspaper in New Orleans, said the trial could be cathartic for residents who hold Nagin responsible for the sluggish pace of the city’s recovery.
‘‘I think his trial represents the final chapter — at least in the political sense — in the debacle after Katrina,’’ he said. ‘‘Everybody just wants to put it behind us. I think we want to forget about it, but I don’t think we’re ready to forgive.’’