Athens-Clarke County employees accused of bribery and falsifying records
Three Athens-Clarke County employees have been charged for allegedly allowing probationers to buy their way out of community service. Athens authorities are still unsure as to how many more employees may be involved and police expect more arrests to come.
The Athens Banner-Herald has the story.
The three individuals who have been charged worked for the county’s Leisure Services department. The department supervises people who are on probation for crimes such as DUI and other misdemeanors. Late last year probation officers began seeing irregularities in documents which were approved by Leisure Services employees. Athens police were then called to investigate which ultimately led to the filing of charges.
Two of the employees, Tracey Leon Woods and Charles Edward Robinson, have been arrested for bribery and making false statements and writings. The third, Clay Brown, is expected to be arrested on the charge of making false statements and writings. Joseph Vernon Siskey, a University of Georgia student, has also been charged for allegedly bringing probationers to meet with Woods.
In addition to county employees, probationers may face charges if they are suspected of being involved in the fraud. Furthermore, individuals still on probation could potentially have their probation revoked. Currently, police believe that the bribery and falsifying of records occurred between October of 2008 and March of 2009.
Under Georgia law, a person convicted of bribery can face one to 20 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. An individual convicted of making a false writing or statement could receive a one to five year sentence and a $1,000 fine.
Our criminal defense lawyers have been successfully representing prominent public officials as well as private citizens accused of bribery and making false writings for years. In many bribery investigations, police will typically cast a wide net which often traps individuals who either had no knowledge of a crime or were unaware that they were involved in a criminal scheme. In such cases, we can often negotiate with prosecutors to achieve dismissed or reduced charges well before trial.
