[JURIST] US Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana [official website] Jim Letten has announced that his office is conducting a criminal investigation into alleged corruption of individuals involved in the design, construction and maintenance of the flood barriers of the New Orleans levee system, which failed during Hurricane Katrina [JURIST news archive] and led to extensive flooding of the city in the days after the storm. The investigation has already turned up possible conflicts of interest among public officials, as well as other evidence of wrongdoing. In addition to federal investigations announced Wednesday, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti [official profile] on Tuesday announced that his office is investigating the possibility of a civil suit against the levee designers [JURIST report] because of the system's failure. AP has more.