Kaufman claimed to have found a gun - which he had actually taken from his own home - on the bridge the day after the shooting. He also invented fictional witnesses and witness statements to justify the officer's actions. He faces a maximum sentence of 120 years in prison.

Kaufman was convicted of ten counts related to the cover-up, "including conspiracy, obstruction of justice, fabricating witnesses, falsifying victim statements, misleading federal investigators and falsifying evidence."

Even though none of the cops were convicted of murder, the cover-up and civil rights counts on which they were convicted carry hefty sentences. Some face multiple life sentences. Reuters reports that had they been convicted of murder, they would have faced mandatory life sentences without parole.

This is not the only case. In all, more than 20 NOLA officers have been charged in corruption and brutality cases. Here's a summary of the cases. In March, the Justice Department issued a report on the systemic abuses of the NOLA police:

Among the findings are that the police department has used excessive force, made unconstitutional stops and searches, and illegally profiled people based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. The investigation also found a number of practices that contributed to the illegal conduct, including failed systems for recruiting and promoting officers, poor training and lack of supervision, among others.

Reuters also reports:

The federal government spent nearly three years mounting its case against the officers after state indictments related to the incident were quashed in 2008 due to errors by the district attorney's office.

Here's the DOJ's 2010 press release on the Indictment. Here are some details of the state's unsuccessful 2006 case.