Related Federal Cases
Former Georgia Department of Transportation Employee Charged with Accepting Bribes
ATLANTA, Georgia – A former employee of the Georgia Department of Transportation has been arraigned on federal charges of conspiracy and accepting bribes. George H. Bell, 49, of Lithonia, Ga., was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 11, 2015.
The indictment alleges that Bell, a supervisor with the Georgia Department of Transportation, solicited and accepted cash payments in exchange for allowing various individuals to dump unsuitable dirt in several GDOT locations. Unsuitable dirt is dirt that is removed during construction or landscaping projects, and cannot be used for other projects, usually because it contains organic material that would decompose and create problems for building on top of it. Bell is alleged to have allowed the unauthorized dumping to occur on at least four different GDOT sites.
“This defendant is charged with using his position with the Georgia Department of Transportation to benefit himself at the expense of the environment,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “His alleged conduct resulted in enormous clean-up costs to the Georgia Department of Transportation as well as environmental damage.”
“The FBI places a high priority on public corruption based investigations because they often ignore due process put in place to protect others. This case involves allegations of a State of Georgia official accepting bribes as he ignored environment laws put in place to protect so many,” said J. Britt Johnson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.
“Corruption in state government will not be tolerated. This case is an excellent example of state and federal law enforcement working together to insure government employees who are corrupt are held accountable,” said Vernon Keenan, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges, and other information presented in court, Bell was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan J. Baverman. Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
George H. Bell, 49, of Lithonia, Ga., is charged with conspiracy and accepting bribes. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Public Corruption Task Force, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Department of Transportation Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie L. Mickelson is prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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