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. His sentencing is set for May 2. Andrea V. Watson. City leaders have not chosen a specific location for the special election to be held. 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. Instead, $108,000 dollars were transferred to pay off the mortgage on a lakefront propertyowned by the former 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. 2023 FOX Television Stations, resignation went into effect at 10 a.m. Wednesday, he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief. We are putting measures into place to prevent what we experienced during the meeting.. She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2022. Both Boone and Lary remain out of jail on bond until their sentencing hearings. Official websites use .gov 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. 2021 5 Feb. "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone" ( Psalm 118:22 ). The last day Stonecrest residents can register to vote in time for the special election is April 25. Lary directed $7,600 of the federal relief dollars to pay Boones sons college tuition and rent. ATLANTA (AP) A former Georgia mayor will serve nearly five years in federal prison after stealing nearly $925,000 in COVID-19 relief funds that his city handed out. MATTIE'S CALL: A 9-month-old baby girl was reported missing from the Ellenwood area with a man police say was diagnosed with a mental illness. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, Former U.S. 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. 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. "You don't recognize Mayor Pro Tem and council and just leave me standing there like I'm not in the meeting. 2023 Cox Media Group. Former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges just hours after resigning Wednesday. 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. The phrase is quoted by Jesus, who applies it to his mission of death and glory, after having told the . Lary announced his resignation during a Zoom meeting on Tuesday. The relief funds were designed to cover costs during the public health emergency. Jason Lary, whose resignation. Lary placed the defendant, Clarence Boone, who was then Senior Economic Development Manager for Stonecrest, in charge of overseeing the Small Business Program. Lary, 59, was the first mayor of Stonecrest, a DeKalb County city of about . 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. Lary, who faces up to 35 years in prison, will be sentenced on May 2. During a struggle to implement new city manager, Lary said he was facing what could be his third battle with cancer. He declined to say what type of cancer he is battling but said it seems to be resurfacing for the third time. Hopefully, he gets all of that, Morrell said. For more information on the Departments response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. His resignation went into effect Wednesday. The first mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to the federal charges earlier this year. Yet Lary and others asked that these contributions be given not to Stonecrest, but to entities called Visit Us, Inc. and Battleground Media, LLC. In return, prosecutors recommended a lighter sentence of 366 days in confinement half in prison and half as home arrest. 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. "Instead of providing aid to Stonecrests deserving citizens, Lary allegedly diverted funds for his own use, including to pay off his taxes and the mortgage on his lakefront home.". His legal team is citing his health and lack of criminal record should merit a lighter sentence. The about-face came in. The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges Mayor Jason Lary misused $6.2 million in COVID-19 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. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, Former U.S. He has not been charged with a crime. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. ATLANTA - Jason Lary, the former mayor of Stonecrest, and Lania Boone, a bookkeeper for the entity that administered COVID-19 relief funds awarded to Stonecrest, have pleaded guilty to. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Around the same time, Lary directed approximately $7,600 in stolen relief funds to be used for Boones sons college tuition and rent. Cobbles term is set to expire in 2026, so another special election will be necessary. Former Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges, Former Stonecrest mayor resigns and plead guilty to federal fraud charges, WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta facebook feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta twitter feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta instagram feed(Opens a new window), WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta youtube feed(Opens a new window), more than $650,000 in COVID-19 relief funds, Reality star Honey Boo Boo was inside speeding Dodge Charger involved in chase with Ga. deputies, 49-year-old man shot multiple times during drug deal in northeast Atlanta, police say, A 17-year-old Gwinnett County girl thought she was taking Percocet; now shes dead, Man rescued after being accidentally buried alive in Cherokee County, Our capital city will die: Georgia senators reject proposal to separate Buckhead from Atlanta. "I ask that you measure me by the whole story," Lary said. Federal authorities brought the mayor of Stonecrest to court alleging he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief granted to the city. Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy on January 5, 2022. Author: 11alive.com Published: 6:24 PM EST February 11, 2022 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. Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. Lary is expected to be sentenced on July 13 at 10 a.m. "Boones guilty plea further demonstrates our commitment to prosecuting those who seek to exploit COVID relief programs for their own gain. DEKALB COUNTY, GA The former mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to wire fraud, theft of government funds and conspiracy, reported WAGA-TV. Main Office: Charles Johnson, Sr., has pleaded guilty for not paying $1.4 million in payroll taxes and for failure to pay employment taxes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot prosecuted the case. 2: Person of Interest. As mayor, he took control of who received $6.2 million in CARES Act money. DEKALB COUNTY, GA The former mayor of Stonecrest pleaded guilty to wire fraud, theft of government funds and conspiracy, reported WAGA-TV. Jones tried to get a comment from Larys attorney after court, but he refused to make a statement. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was the only news outlet at the hearing. Richard B. Russell Federal Building 75 Ted Turner Dr. SW Lania Boone received a sentence of six months and one day in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,657.47. It's been five years since a Carroll County man mysteriously disappeared from his home. Former Mayor of Stonecrest sentenced to prison for stealing COVID-19 relief funds 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. They are purposely seeking to tear down everything I have worked to build in Stonecrest. Lary was arraigned in November 2021, accused of personally profiting from COVID-19 relief money. Those companies were all connected to Lary. Lary previously denied the accusations of fraud. Official websites use .gov Stonecrest was required to spend the relief funds in accordance with the CARES Act. She also agreed to pay restitution. Inpractice, the Stonecrest Cares Program directed relief funds to churches and non-profit organizations in and around Stonecrest. Lary won the mayors race twice, the citys only mayor in its brief history. For further information please contact the U.S. Attorneys Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. (FOX 5). STONECREST, Ga. Former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges just hours after resigning Wednesday. 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. Since Larys term was set to expire at the end of 2023, the city charter requires a special election to fill his post. He also resigned as the citys mayor. I should've stayed out for several months, but circumstances prevailed where I needed to come back earlier," Lary said. 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. I will show you my hairy behind next time it happens and that's the only warning I'm going to give with this.". Boones case matches the legal process used by Jason Lary, the founding mayor of Stonecrest. As you can tell with technology, it can be immature and ridiculous, and thats fine, Lary said. A former health care executive, Lary was instrumental in convincing the General Assembly to create the city of Stonecrest along I-20 in south DeKalb County. STONECREST MAYOR JASON LARY RESIGNS DAY BEFORE FEDERAL COURT DATE, FORMER STONECREST MAYOR ADMINS ROLE IN COVID RELIEF FRAUD SCHEME. "I did the best I could do with what we had in place.". Lary is free on bond. The first is verse 22, "The stone rejected by the builders has become the corner-stone". 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. Former Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges, Former Stonecrest mayor resigns and plead guilty to federal fraud charges, Stonecrest mayor appeared in federal court about misusing CARES fund. Lary, 60, pleaded. The population is now 60,000 with a budget of more than $13 million. The rescue team said the man was buried up to his neck in soil. Stonecrest did not disburse the $6 million allocated to the Stonecrest Cares Program and Small Business Program. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. On Wednesday, Channel 2s Tom Jones was in the courtroom as Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal program theft and federal program theft. STONECREST, Ga. Editor's note: The video above is from a previous story. STONECREST MAYOR RESPONDS TO ACCUSATIONS OF CARES ACT FUNDS MISUSE. 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. 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.
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