He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives. It's been five years since a Carroll County man mysteriously disappeared from his home. 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. Those companies were all connected to Lary. Official websites use .gov Around October 2021, the United States seized approximately $480,000 of fraud proceeds held in the bank accounts of Visit Us and Battleground Media. 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. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. The first is verse 22, "The stone rejected by the builders has become the corner-stone". I will show you my hairy behind next time it happens and that's the only warning I'm going to give with this.". 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. 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. We have no response about the Mayors resignation, city officials said. Lary previously denied the accusations of fraud. Mayor Jason Lary and others in the city of Stonecrest is charged with mishandling 650,000 of CARES money meant for the citizens of Stonecrest. Then, Lary caused the city to enter a contract with MPRC to disburse the relief funds as directed by Stonecrest. Boone, who wrote the bulk of the checks using the stolen funds, agreed with that Friday in court. If you have additional information, pictures, or video email newstipsatlanta@fox.com. Those duties include acting as the figurehead of the city and appointing members to boards and committees. Lary also made the defendants wife, Lania Boone, the bookkeeper charged with distributing relief funds. Jason Lary, who announced his resignation as the mayor of Stonecrest, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. 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. I let us down, he told the court, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His sentencing hearing has been set for May 2. accused of personally profiting from COVID-19 relief money. 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. (FOX 5). Have a question about Government Services? Lary directed $7,600 of the federal relief dollars to pay Boones sons college tuition and rent. Richard B. Russell Federal Building Lary announced his resignation to the city on a Zoom call . Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy on January 5, 2022. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Atlanta, GA 30303-3309. Example video title will go here for this video, Should Be Alive Ep. Lary, 59, was the first mayor of Stonecrest, a DeKalb County city of about . STONECREST, Ga. Editor's note: The video above is from a previous story. "I ask that you measure me by the whole story," Lary said. Court documents show he was arraigned on the charges after relief funds expected to be allocated to the Stonecrest Cares Program and Small Business Program never made it to the city initiatives. Puede participar en nuestro ensayo sobre EPOC? Lania Boone, 60, pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge for her role in a scheme to steal federal pandemic relief funds. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor Wilmot previously prosecuted the case. 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. Lock 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. Stonecrest could hold a special election to fill the vacant mayor's seat as early as March. In Larys guilty plea, he admitted to making sure that Boone was hired as Municipal Resource Partners bookkeeper. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. "Quite frankly folks, now its turned ugly," he said during a news conference in April 2021. Credit: Photo courtesy of Boston College Athletics, Former Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges, Stonecrest passes on March election date to replace mayor after guilty fraud plea, Jahmyr Gibbs: Georgia Tech helped make me who I am today, Georgia Tech closes regular season with win over Boston College. The relief funds were designed to cover costs during the public health emergency. Lary previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but his attorney, Dwight Thomas, indicated on Nov. 10 that he would take a plea deal. 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. He resigned his post on Jan. 4 and accepted a plea deal the next day for concocting the scheme. An official website of the United States government. DEKALB COUNTY, GA The former mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to wire fraud, theft of government funds and conspiracy, reported WAGA-TV. 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. Jason Lary was accused of stealing more than. 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. Lock Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy on January 5, 2022. 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. In a special-called meeting, members of the Stonecrest City Council voted 4-1 to censure Lary. 2023 Cox Media Group. For more information on the Departments response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. This sentencing holds Lary accountable for abusing his position of trust and blatant disrespect for the law.. His resignation went into effect Wednesday. "Mr. Lary has serious health challenges and at age 60 the Defendant finds himself facing a legacy of criminal history that is and was 'money motivated,' and not violence or physical harm to others, nor drug related," his legal team writes in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court. Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges, Former mayor of Stonecrest, bookkeeper plead guilty to theft of COVID-19 relief funds, LIST: Schools across Georgia closing early ahead of possible severe weather, Gallery of storm damage across GA: Send us your photos, videos, Firefighters rescue Cherokee County man buried up to his neck in trench, Excel Church gives despite recovery from fire, Father and 9-month-old daughter reported missing in Clayton County, 26-year-old woman shot while driving in Decatur, Sign up for Atlanta News First Newsletters. Now, the sheriff's office is hoping to reignite the search on this cold case. FORMER MAYOR ADMITS ROLE IN COVID RELIEF FRAUD SCHEME. In September 2020, Jason Lary, then the Mayor of Stonecrest, signed a resolution acknowledging these CARES Act requirements. 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.. The indictment alleges that Smith stole more than $450,000 in Social Security Administration Northern District of Georgia "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.". The people of Stonecrest deserved better, and corrupt officials can expect severe consequences for using their offices to commit crimes.. 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,. 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. Official websites use .gov Lary is accused of stealing more than $650,000 in COVID-19 relief funds meant to help the people of Stonecrest who he was supposed to serve. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, Former U.S. Lary resigned a day before he pleaded guilty to concocting a fraud scheme to steal more than $650,000 in federal pandemic relief funds. Lary faces up to 35 years in prison on all three counts. He explained he needs to take some time to work with doctors and care for himself. 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. In another case, Lary allegedly gave a church $50,000. Sandra D. Smith has been arraigned on federal charges of wire fraud and theft of government funds. 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.