Former Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. A bookkeeper and spouse of a - DeKalb County News Now | Facebook Later, in March 2021, after learning of an investigation into the citys handling of relief funds and knowing that the business had never filed paperwork to support the grant, Clarence Boone attempted to conceal the scheme by directing the businesss owner to submit an application that contained false statements, even though the Small Business Program had already ceased operations. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga. The three conspired to steal and misappropriate relief funds intended for struggling businesses in Stonecrest. Federal authorities brought the mayor of Stonecrest to court alleging he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief granted to the city. 75 Ted Turner Dr. SW The Stone that the Builders Rejected Became the Cornerstone? Those duties include acting as the figurehead of the city and appointing members to boards and committees. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Under the CARES Act, the federal government distributed COVID-19 relief funds to individual Americans, federal agencies, and state and local governments, including $125 million to DeKalb County. Sentencing is scheduled for May 12. Clarence Boone, 60, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program theft and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2023. 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STONECREST CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO CENSURE MAYOR AFTER IMMATURE PUBLIC REMARKS, "Lary allegedly abused the power and trust conferred on him as Mayor of Stonecrest to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars intended for COVID-19 relief," said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. Lary, 60, pleaded guilty in January to wire fraud, federal program theft and conspiracy to commit federal program theft. Former Stonecrest mayor, bookkeeper plead guilty to theft of - MSN . The FBI and prosecutors found that $108,000 of relief funds were used to pay off the mortgage on a lakefront home owned by Lary, while another $7,600 was used to pay college tuition and rent for Boones son. FORMER MAYOR ADMITS ROLE IN COVID RELIEF FRAUD SCHEME. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the only news outlet at the hearing. The. For example, Lary presented a check for $150,000 in relief funds to Church 1, on the condition that $50,000 be given to a company called Real Estate Management Consultants, LLC (REMC). The Internet address for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga. Ignoring input from the official selection committee, from about November 2020, until about February 2021, Boone signed dozens of checks on behalf of MRPC, directing relief funds to individuals, businesses, churches, and non-profit organizations of Larys own choosing. As another example, Lary presented a check from MRPC for $50,000 to Church 2. Later, a person acting on Larys behalf told Church 2 to contribute $4,500 of the relief funds to REMC, purportedly for rent assistance. Former Mayor of Stonecrest sentenced to prison for stealing COVID-19 Stone clemency order shows Trump wiped prison sentence, supervised Lary wont be required to report to prison until after Dec. 15, giving him time for more cancer treatments. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 2023 Cox Media Group. Lary placed the defendant, Clarence Boone, who was then Senior Economic Development Manager for Stonecrest, in charge of overseeing the Small Business Program. His plea came the same morning his resignation as mayor of Stonecrest became official. He then asked the church to give $50,000 back to one of the companies included in the scheme. 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A former health care executive, Lary was instrumental in convincing the General Assembly to create the city of Stonecrest along I-20 in south DeKalb County. A locked padlock Candidates must pay a $600 qualifying fee. In total, businesses were defrauded out of hundreds of thousands of dollars of relief funds. Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges - CBS 46 ATLANTA (AP) A former Georgia mayor will serve nearly five years in federal prison after stealing nearly $925,000 in COVID-19 relief funds that his city handed out. "You don't recognize Mayor Pro Tem and council and just leave me standing there like I'm not in the meeting. and were incurred during the period that [began] on March 1, 2020, and [ended] on December 30, 2020. Examples of eligible expenditures were medical expenses, public health expenses, and grants to small businesses to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closures. U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash sentenced Stonecrest ex-mayor Jason Lary to 57 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay nearly $120,000 in restitution. The judge says Larys actions were deplorable and rejected a defense request for Lary to avoid prison time. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]. Lary used three different methods to steal the funds Stonecrest disbursed to MRPC. Former Stonecrest mayor sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for The qualification period will take place roughly a month before the election date, and it must end 25 days before the election takes place. Lary resigned from his post as a mayor right before filing a guilty plea to the charges, citing health reasons and three battles with cancer. Former Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges ", Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary is met by FOX 5 I-Team Reporter Randy Travis as he walks into the federal courthouse in Atlanta to enter a guilty plea to stealing CARES Act money on Jan. 5, 2022. MATTIE'S CALL: A 9-month-old baby girl was reported missing from the Ellenwood area with a man police say was diagnosed with a mental illness. A bookkeeper was also involved in the scheme and arraigned, records show. Former Stonecrest mayor, bookkeeper plead guilty to theft of COVID Lary did not tell the businesses that he controlled these entities. Former Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges Former Stonecrest mayor resigns and plead guilty to federal fraud charges. He also resigned as the citys mayor. Former Stonecrest mayor sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for Attorneys for the Northern District of Georgia, Former Mayor of Stonecrest sentenced to prison for stealing COVID-19 relief funds, https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form, CEO of Atlanta engineering firm pleads guilty to failing to pay payroll taxes, Arizona man pleads guilty to extorting Georgia Tech, Georgia woman charged with stealing over $450,000 in government and retirement benefits, Former Mayor of Stonecrest Sentenced To Prison For Stealing COVID 19 Relief Funds. his resignation as mayor of Stonecrest became official. Jason Lary was accused of stealing more than $650,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Lania Boone received a sentence of six months and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,657.47. Have a question about Government Services? Lania Boone, Larys co-conspirator, pleaded guilty to conspiracy on February 11, 2022. Lary is expected to be sentenced on July 13 at 10 a.m. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives. Boone was the companys bookkeeper and wrote multiple checks to disburse the funds, records show. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I let us down, he told the court, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Stonecrest residents that Jones talked to were outraged. "What the mayor said was unacceptable and does not represent city council," said Mayor Pro Tem George Turner. Small businesses that applied for financial relief were asked on an application form if theyd be willing to give 25% of the grant to one of three companies to market their business. We are putting measures into place to prevent what we experienced during the meeting.. For example, Lary used relief funds held by Visit Us to pay for an associates political advertising. In another case, Lary allegedly gave a church $50,000. The city will hold a special election on May 24 to fill the rest of the mayors term after the office was vacated by Jason Lary in January. We will continue to uncover and prosecute those who exploit government positions and COVID relief programs to fuel their own greed., CARES Act funds were intended to help people and businesses harmed by the pandemic, not to line the pockets of public officials entrusted to lead a community, said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. 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Attorneys for the Northern District of Georgia, Stonecrests former Senior Economic Development Manager pleads guilty to theft of COVID-19 relief funds, https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form, CEO of Atlanta engineering firm pleads guilty to failing to pay payroll taxes, Arizona man pleads guilty to extorting Georgia Tech, Georgia woman charged with stealing over $450,000 in government and retirement benefits, Stonecrests Former Senior Economic Development Manager Pleads Guilty To Theft of COVID 19 Relief Funds.
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