Hopefully, he gets all of that, Morrell said. Lary was supposed to be in office until the end of 2023. Those companies were all connected to Lary. While I was out on cancer leave, they removed me from every committee I created, refused to pay my car allowance, while paying six figures to the finance director and $209,000 annually to the acting city manager (including a car allowance). The last day Stonecrest residents can register to vote in time for the special election is April 25. Instead Lary worked behind the scenes to form a private company, Municipal Resource Partners Corporation, Inc. (MRPC), recruit its CEO, open its bank accounts, and ensure that Lania Boone, his convicted co-conspirator, would be hired as MRPCs bookkeeper. "What the mayor said was unacceptable and does not represent city council," said Mayor Pro Tem George Turner. "Quite frankly folks, now its turned ugly," he said during a news conference in April 2021. Puede participar en nuestro ensayo sobre EPOC? Stonecrest was required to spend the relief funds in accordance with the CARES Act. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorneys Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. 75 Ted Turner Dr. SW Lary placed the defendant, Clarence Boone, who was then Senior Economic Development Manager for Stonecrest, in charge of overseeing the Small Business Program. All rights reserved. In a special-called meeting, members of the Stonecrest City Council voted 4-1 to censure Lary. Yet Lary and others asked that these contributions be given not to Stonecrest, but to entities called Visit Us, Inc. and Battleground Media, LLC. The resolution also adopted a funding plan for most of Stonecrests relief funds. The rescue team said the man was buried up to his neck in soil. The three conspired to steal and misappropriate relief funds intended for struggling businesses in Stonecrest. BREAKING: A bookkeeper and spouse of a former Stonecrest official accepted a plea deal in federal court Friday afternoon for participating in the same fraud scheme that brought down the city's. Stonecrest received $6.2 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds, and the two are accused of taking some of the funds for themselves. "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 Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. ATLANTA Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary was sentenced to 57 months in prison Wednesday after he stole more than $650,000 in COVID-19 relief funds meant for the recovery of businesses, churches and the people of the city. accused of personally profiting from COVID-19 relief money. Father defends terrified family with machete after home intruder breaks through window in middle of night, Paolo Banchero scores 31 points, Magic beat Hornets 117-106. Until a new mayor is elected, the mayors responsibilities will be handled by the mayor pro tem. The judge says Larys actions were deplorable and rejected a defense request for Lary to avoid prison time. ATLANTA - Clarence Boone, the former Senior Economic Development Manager of Stonecrest, pleaded guilty to conspiring with his wife, Lania Boone, and the former Mayor of Stonecrest, Jason Lary, to steal pandemic relief funds intended to support small businesses in Stonecrest. his resignation as mayor of Stonecrest became official. 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. A bookkeeper and spouse of a former Stonecrest official accepted a plea deal in federal court Friday afternoon for participating in the same fraud scheme that brought down the city's founding mayor. A bookkeeper and spouse of a former Stonecrest official accepted a plea deal in federal court Friday afternoon for participating in the same fraud scheme that brought down the city's founding. Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. His resignation went into effect Wednesday. 2023 FOX Television Stations. Suite 600 Stonecrest residents that Jones talked to were outraged. Official websites use .gov The federal government permitted DeKalb County to further disburse these relief funds to its municipalities. That decision will be made at a later date. STONECREST, Ga. Editor's note: The video above is from a previous story. Now, the sheriff's office is hoping to reignite the search on this cold case. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga. DEKALB COUNTY, GA The former mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to wire fraud, theft of government funds and conspiracy, reported WAGA-TV. "The question of compassion to this Honorable Court is what is the appropriate sentenced for the conduct of this Defendant who, when confronted 'fessed up' and avoided costly indictment and made good faith efforts to cooperate with the Government," court documents read. . Wilmot said Lary used some of that stolen money to pay off the $108,147 mortgage on his lakefront home in Macon. 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. Sandra D. Smith has been arraigned on federal charges of wire fraud and theft of government funds. He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $119,607.69. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. His legal team is citing his health and lack of criminal record should merit a lighter sentence. An official website of the United States government. Second, Lary told churches that received relief funds from the Stonecrest Cares Program that they were required to contribute a portion of those funds for purposes identified by Lary. A former suburban Atlanta mayor was sentenced to nearly five years in prison on Wednesday for masterminding a scheme to steal nearly $925,000 of the $6.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds that. Lary resigned a day before he pleaded guilty to. The censure stemmed from remarks Mayor Lary made at the end of a council meeting on Sept. 27. Charles Johnson, Sr., has pleaded guilty for not paying $1.4 million in payroll taxes and for failure to pay employment taxes. "You don't recognize Mayor Pro Tem and council and just leave me standing there like I'm not in the meeting. Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy on January 5, 2022. None the less, I will continue to serve the people of the great city of Stonecrest.". The former mayor of Stonecrest and a bookkeeper who administered COVID-19 relief funds to the town pleaded guilty in federal court this month to charges related to the theft of pandemic relief funds. We have no response about the Mayors resignation, city officials said. Federal prosecutors said that in addition to paying off personal debt, Lary conducted a scheme where he asked small businesses and churches to whom he allocated grants to give 25% of the money to companies connected to himself and co-conspirators. 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Former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges just hours after resigning Wednesday. Lary announced his resignation to the city on a Zoom call Tuesday. 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 image comes from the ancient quarries where highly-trained stonemasons carefully chose the stones used in construction. The. 2022-02-12 - By Zachary Hansen zachary.hansen@ajc.com. His coconspirators previously pleaded guilty and received the following sentences: This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the DeKalb County District Attorneys Office. The qualification period will take place roughly a month before the election date, and it must end 25 days before the election takes place. The people of Stonecrest deserved better, and corrupt officials can expect severe consequences for using their offices to commit crimes., It is extremely disheartening when an elected official, someone sworn to protect the community they serve, violates that oath by stealing relief funds intended to aid their community, said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. Then, Lary caused the city to enter a contract with MPRC to disburse the relief funds as directed by Stonecrest. Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy on January 5, 2022. ", 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. Lary, 59, was the first mayor of Stonecrest, a DeKalb County city of about . Briefs: 11Alives news director goes to Gray; Honey Boo Boos boyfriend arrested; Marlon Woman accused of killing ill husband released from jail, Class 7A: Semifinal coverage from Georgia State, DeKalb volunteers to plant 150 trees during March, Decatur hosts second community meeting on March 2, Atlantas Carter Center preps for future without founder, Photography club captures hope during pandemic, March food and drink events to check out in metro Atlanta. Former advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, Roger Stone, leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse after being found guilty of obstructing a congressional investigation into . Hardworking people like us, Will Morrell said. Atlanta, GA 30303-3309. No stone was more important than the cornerstone because the integrity of the whole structure depended on the cornerstone containing . Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor Wilmot previously prosecuted the case. Lary continued with the meeting after an IT tech fixed the problem. Lary resigned a day before he pleaded guilty to concocting a fraud scheme to steal more than $650,000 in federal pandemic relief funds. 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. Lary was also ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution as well. 2023 Cox Media Group. 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. A bookkeeper and spouse of a former Stonecrest official accepted a plea deal in federal court Friday afternoon for participating in the same fraud scheme that brought down the citys founding mayor. "I came back too early from my second round with cancer. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The population is now 60,000 with a budget of more than $13 million. The DeKalb County District Attorneys Office will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to bring these bad actors to justice, said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston. 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. Former Stonecrest mayor sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for stealing COVID-19 relief funds In January, Jason Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal program theft and federal program theft. Lary asked potential recipients to kickback 25% of their grant to other companies for "marketing" purposes. Lary won the mayors race twice, the citys only mayor in its brief history. Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary on Wednesday pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft and conspiracy to commit federal program theft, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. 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. SB 300, also called the Sentencing Reform Act, would rewrite part of Proposition 115, a 1990 ballot initiative that expanded the definition of first-degree murder to include murder committed . The 60-year-old Lary pleaded guilty in January to fraud and theft charges. 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. 2023 FOX Television Stations, resignation went into effect at 10 a.m. Wednesday, he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief. Andrea V. Watson. He said he had surgery in late December 2020. In January, Jason Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal program theft and federal program theft. Lary faces up to 35 years in prison on all three counts. Lary also made the defendants wife, Lania Boone, the bookkeeper charged with distributing relief funds. His sentencing is set for May 2. The plan provided $1 million to the Stonecrest Cares Program for mask distribution, COVID-19 education and testing, and other purposes. The former Mayor of Stonecrest Jason Lary pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing COVID-19 relief funds that were supposed to go to struggling businesses. As mayor, he took control of who received $6.2 million in CARES Act money. First, Lary conspired with Boone to steal relief funds before they were disbursed by MRPC. For more information on the Departments response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Lary betrayed the trust placed in him by the citizens of Stonecrest by stealing the very funds meant to help his constituents weather the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said. The rescue team said the man was buried up to his neck in soil. Jason Lary, 60, of Stonecrest, Georgia, has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. An official website of the United States government. The 45-minute Zoom call in which he announced his resignation was hacked and briefly displayed a video game and then a brief snippet of pornography. Since Larys term was set to expire at the end of 2023, the city charter requires a special election to fill his post. Main Office: Ronald Bell, who conspired to extort money from Georgia Institute of Technology, has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit extortion. InJuly 2020, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted to disburse some of the relief funds to its municipalities, including a $6.2 million grant to Stonecrest. Lania Boone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program theft on February 11, 2022. Lary and others falsely claimed that the money would be each businesss contribution to Stonecrest-related marketing and advertising. This sentencing holds Lary accountable for abusing his position of trust and blatant disrespect for the law.. Last year the Northern District of Georgia US Attorney's office prosecuted at least 100 people involved in a total of $26 million in CARES Act fraud. 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. FORMER MAYOR ADMITS ROLE IN COVID RELIEF FRAUD SCHEME. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the only news outlet at the hearing. ATLANTA Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary was sentenced to 57 months in prison Wednesday after he stole more than $650,000 in COVID-19 relief funds meant for the recovery of businesses,. According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: In March 2020, the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law in response to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The FBI will do everything in our power to make sure stolen funds are returned to the public, and individuals involved in this type of criminal behavior are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.". 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.. "It's time for me to retire from politics and focus on my health," Lary said. February 21, 2022 Chris Butler. Have a question about Government Services? Lary wont be required to report to prison until after Dec. 15, giving him time for more cancer treatments. Atlanta, GA 30303-3309. In September 2020, Jason Lary, the former Mayor of Stonecrest, allocated $5 million of the relief funds to a Small Business Program which would disburse relief funds based on applications submitted by local businesses. Boone agreed to cooperate with government agents, provide records and testify at future trials. STONECREST MAYOR JASON LARY RESIGNS DAY BEFORE FEDERAL COURT DATE, FORMER STONECREST MAYOR ADMINS ROLE IN COVID RELIEF FRAUD SCHEME. 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. This story is breaking. Ronald Bell, who conspired to extort money from Georgia Institute of Technology, has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit extortion. Lock Jason Lary received a sentence of four years and nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $119,607.69. I will show you my hairy behind next time it happens and that's the only warning I'm going to give with this.". Candidates must pay a $600 qualifying fee. "I did the best I could do with what we had in place.". Former Stonecrest mayor sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison for stealing COVID-19 relief funds. Instead of being a trustworthy steward of CARES Act funding, Clarence Boone and his co-conspirators schemed to misappropriate those funds to enrich themselves at the expense of those less fortunate. For example, Lary used relief funds held by Visit Us to pay for an associates political advertising. Lary previously denied the accusations of fraud. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. Lary announced his resignation during a Zoom meeting on Tuesday. Later in December 2020 and January 2021, Clarence Boone coordinated with Lary and Lania Boone to use $108,155.52 of relief funds to pay off the mortgage on Larys lakefront home in Macon, Georgia, and used more than $7,600 of relief funds to pay college tuition, a meal plan, books, and rent for Clarence Boones son. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives. DEKALB COUNTY, GA The former mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to wire fraud, theft of government funds and conspiracy, reported WAGA-TV. Lary announced his resignation to the city on a Zoom call . "Larys guilty plea was the first in righting the wrongs committed against the people of Stonecrest, who were wrongfully deprived of hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to provide COVID-19 relief," said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. 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. Richard B. Russell Federal Building I should've stayed out for several months, but circumstances prevailed where I needed to come back earlier," Lary said. In Larys guilty plea, he admitted to making sure that Boone was hired as Municipal Resource Partners bookkeeper.
