A new indictment has been unsealed against John Thomas Burnette, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, charging him with multiple counts of public corruption.
According to the indictment, Burnette participated in a racketeering conspiracy, extortion, and honest services mail fraud, among other crimes.
The indictment alleges that in 2014, Burnette caused a company to pay $110,000 in exchange for Tallahassee City Commissioner Scott Maddox declaring a conflict and not voting at a City Commission meeting.
Maddox and Paige Carter-Smith had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of honest-services fraud and one count of conspiring to interfere with the lawful function of the IRS.
The FBI and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation, while the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen M. Kunz, Gary K. Milligan, and Andrew J. Grogan, as well as Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo, Peter M. Nothstein, and Rosaleen O’Gara.
Burnette has waived arraignment on the second superseding indictment, and his trial is scheduled for November 4, 2019.
The maximum terms of imprisonment for the offenses are as follows: 20 years for racketeering conspiracy, extortion, and honest services fraud; and 5 years for use of interstate facilities in furtherance of bribery and making false statements to a federal officer.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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