A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. 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. 2023 FOX Television Stations. Lary directed $7,600 of the federal relief dollars to pay Boones sons college tuition and rent. ATLANTA - The former Mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing COVID-19 relief funds that were supposed to go to struggling businesses. "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. 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). DEKALB COUNTY, GA The former mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to wire fraud, theft of government funds and conspiracy, reported WAGA-TV. She also agreed to pay restitution. In another case, Lary allegedly gave a church $50,000. The first mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to the federal charges earlier this year. Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy on January 5, 2022. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. He faces a max sentence of 35 years in prison. 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. Lary continued with the meeting after an IT tech fixed the problem. Now, the sheriff's office is hoping to reignite the search on this cold case. "Quite frankly folks, now its turned ugly," he said during a news conference in April 2021. 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. Lary agreed that he diverted at least $650,000 in relief money by requiring Stonecrest churches and businesses to kick back a portion of their grant money to companies he controlled. 75 Ted Turner Dr. SW The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. Lary faces up to 35 years in prison on all three counts. "What the mayor said was unacceptable and does not represent city council," said Mayor Pro Tem George Turner. Lania Boone, 60, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge for her role in a scheme to steal . Richard B. Russell Federal Building The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges Mayor Jason Lary misused $6.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. First, Lary conspired with Boone to steal relief funds before they were disbursed by MRPC. Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary and his former bookkeeper have pleaded guilty to charges related to allegedly stealing COVID relief funds awarded to Stonecrest during the pandemic, officials said. 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. We are putting measures into place to prevent what we experienced during the meeting.. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. "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.". Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. ", 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. Former Stonecrest mayor, bookkeeper plead guilty to theft of COVID relief funds 585 views Feb 11, 2022 5 Dislike Share 11Alive 856K subscribers Jason Lary, the former mayor of. The 60-year-old Lary pleaded guilty in January to fraud and theft charges. Those companies were all connected to Lary. That decision will be made at a later date. 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. Lary, 60, pleaded. Atlanta, GA 30303-3309. At least two candidates have publicly said theyll run to be the citys next mayor. DeKalb County then disbursed $6.2 million of these relief funds to Stonecrest. Jason Lary stole more than $650,000 in COVID-19 relief funds meant to help the. In January, Jason Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal program theft and federal program theft. Stonecrest mayor charged in alleged misuse of CARES Act federal funds Lary previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but his attorney, Dwight Thomas, indicated on Nov. 10 that he would. Deana Timberlake-Wiley, Boones attorney, and federal prosecutors declined to comment. Puede participar en nuestro ensayo sobre EPOC? District 3 Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble announced last week she will resign her post once she qualifies to run for mayor, and former District 5 councilwoman Diane Adoma told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she will run as well. 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. The rescue team said the man was buried up to his neck in soil. Bookkeeper admits to role helping former Stonecrest mayor steal COVID In general, according to the Department of the Treasury, relief funds could only be used to cover costs that [were] necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency. On October 28, 2020, for example, Clarence Boone and Lary circumvented the application process and directed more than $50,000 to a business that they knew was not conducting any legitimate operations, and Lania Boone ultimately wrote the check to disburse the funds. Former Stonecrest mayor, bookkeeper plead guilty to theft of COVID Then, Lary caused the city to enter a contract with MPRC to disburse the relief funds as directed by Stonecrest. The people of Stonecrest deserved better, and corrupt officials can expect severe consequences for using their offices to commit crimes.. 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. Charles Johnson, Sr., has pleaded guilty for not paying $1.4 million in payroll taxes and for failure to pay employment taxes. The judge says Lary's actions were "deplorable" and rejected a defense request for Lary to avoid prison time. His legal team is citing his health and lack of criminal record should merit a lighter sentence. "He certainly, as alleged by the Grand Jury, used his position as mayor of Stonecrest to divert those funds and used his influence and connections," Erskine said. The relief funds were designed to cover costs during the public health emergency. The indictment alleges that Smith stole more than $450,000 in Social Security Administration Northern District of Georgia But he was using it for his own personal needs.. Earlier this year, Lary pleaded guilty to one count each of wire fraud, conspiracy and federal program theft for his role in stealing more than $650,000. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary is asking for a lighter sentence than he faces after pleading guilty to allegedly stealing COVID relief funds awarded to the city during the pandemic. Example video title will go here for this video, Should Be Alive Ep. 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. Former Stonecrest mayor, bookkeeper plead guilty to theft of COVID 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. 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. The city will hold a special election on May 24 to fill the rest of the mayor's term after the office was vacated by Jason Lary in January. Suite 600 They are purposely seeking to tear down everything I have worked to build in Stonecrest. Lary placed the defendant, Clarence Boone, who was then Senior Economic Development Manager for Stonecrest, in charge of overseeing the Small Business Program. His resignation went into effect Wednesday. Channel 2s Audrey Washington called and emailed Stonecrest officials about the announcement and the hack. 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. ATLANTA Jason Lary, the former Mayor of the City of Stonecrest, has been sentenced for using his elected office to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds allocated to the city. With Lary now 60 years old and with no criminal history, his legal team requested that house arrest, community service and statutory required supervision be considered for his sentence. Those duties include acting as the figurehead of the city and appointing members to boards and committees. The mayor only votes in the event of a tie a rarity for a five-member City Council. I will show you my hairy behind next time it happens and that's the only warning I'm going to give with this.". U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, Former U.S. The application included the question, are you willing to allocate 25% of your grant to marketing your business? Hundreds of businesses applied for relief funds, but most of the applicants were rejected. A bookkeeper and spouse of a - DeKalb County News Now | Facebook 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. The phrase is quoted by Jesus, who applies it to his mission of death and glory, after having told the . Former mayor asks judge if he can serve sentence from home after 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. 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. 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. Lary, who faces up to 35 years in prison, will be sentenced on May 2. 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. Boone was the companys bookkeeper and wrote multiple checks to disburse the funds, records show. The discussion comes after the censure of Stonecrest's mayor for comments he made during a meeting. Have a question about Government Services? An official website of the United States government. Former Stonecrest Mayor Pleads Guilty To Federal Fraud Charges In one case, federal investigators alleged that Lary gave a church $150,000 under the condition that they would give a third of the money to a company called Real Estate Management Consultants LLC, which Lary controlled. The FBI will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure stolen relief funds are returned to the public, and individuals involved in this type of fraud are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.. 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). Around the same time, Lary directed approximately $7,600 in stolen relief funds to be used for Boones sons college tuition and rent. One of the grants was to his church, which he awarded $150,000. Like the rest of the country, the residents and businesses of Stonecrest community looked to its government for vital assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges just hours after resigning Wednesday. (Art by Richard Miller). 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor Wilmot previously prosecuted the case.