Doctor Sentenced for Providing False Information to Federal Officer

Michael J. Moore, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announces that on January 27, 2011, Bradford G. Brown, M.D., was sentenced to serve thirty-six (36) months in prison and a $500.00 Mandatory Assessment Fee by the Honorable Judge Lawson in United States District Court in Macon, Georgia.

Brown was convicted by a Federal Jury of his peers on September 23, 2010. He was found guilty of one count of Conspiracy to Provide False Information to a Federal Officer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371 in connection with Section 1001. Brown was also convicted of four counts of Providing False Information to a Federal Officer, Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.

Dr. Brown had previously been convicted of Federal Tax Evasion, had served his time and was on supervised release. One of the conditions of supervised release was that he look for and maintain a job. The Defendant’s supervised release had previously been revoked for his failure to look for employment. The revocation was for three months before Brown was placed back on supervised release. Brown still failed to look for a job and was told he was going to go back in front of the Court for a second possible violation. The Defendant enlisted Adam Jackson, a former Hancock County Commissioner, on two different occasions to sign off on two letters the Defendant himself had penned stating that the Hancock County Board of Commissioners had offered him a job to reopen the defunct County Hospital. (Jackson was a Hancock County Board member). The Defendant then sent those letters along with a employment contract that he had also penned to his probation officer which provided the false statements that he had been offered a position with the Hancock County Board of Commissioners when in fact, there was no position or offer ever extended to Brown. The second letter was sent about a month after the first letter with an even more elaborate false statement than the first letter. Brown claimed that by a unanimous vote by the Commissioners he had been offered the position, when in fact, there was no vote, no position, and no offer of employment.

Brown’s co-defendant, former Hancock County Commissioner Adam Jackson, entered a plea of guilty to Count One of Conspiracy to Provide False Statements and was sentenced to serve 24 month in prison on November 22, 2010.

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Three Former Fulton County Jailers Sentenced for Obstructing Federal Civil Rights Investigations

Three former Fulton County Jail detention officers were sentenced today (October 28) by Senior United States District Judge J. Owen Forrester for obstructing federal civil rights investigations. CURTIS JEROME BROWN, 42, of Lithonia, Georgia, and MITNEE MARKETTE JONES, 47, of Atlanta, were sentenced to federal prison for lying to a federal grand jury, making false statements to a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and writing false incident reports with the intent to hinder a federal investigation. DERONTAY ANTON LANGFORD, 35, of Atlanta, was ordered to home confinement as part of a probation sentence for his efforts to obstruct one of the investigations.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the convictions, “Today the court sentenced three detention officers for obstructing a federal civil rights investigation of inmate abuse in the Fulton County Jail. These convictions and sentences affirm our strong commitment to pursue justice even when those who are sworn to uphold the law attempt to hide the truth.”

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta, said, “The actions of former Fulton County Detention Officers Brown, Jones and Langford are an erosion of the public's ability to trust the law enforcement personnel who have taken an oath to protect against such egregious, criminal activity. The FBI remains highly committed to investigate such corruption by all government officials, so that the members of the public can continue to trust in the vast majority of law enforcement officials whom respect their oath and are committed to public service. Anyone with information regarding public corruption should contact the Atlanta office of the FBI.”

Fulton County Chief Deputy Sheriff Jimmy Carter said, “We fully support investigations and prosecutions of persons connected to incidents involving brutality by employees of the Fulton County Sheriff's Office who are sworn to protect and serve fairly. We have zero tolerance for behavior that results in the mistreatment of citizens who come in contact with the Sheriff's Office. Employees are expected to be truthful in reporting and submissions of reports of their actions, investigations, and other related activities.”

BROWN, who was convicted on the charges by a jury on April 16, 2010, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service. JONES, who was convicted on the charges by a jury on January 21, 2010, was sentenced to one year and three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service. LANGFORD entered a negotiated guilty plea to his charges on September 22, 2009, and cooperated with the federal investigation. LANGFORD was sentenced to four months of home confinement as part of three years of probation.

According to United States Attorney Yates and the information presented in court: On August 11, 2007, a Fulton County Jail inmate disrupted a count of inmates by shouting a crude comment to a female detention officer. BROWN handcuffed the inmate behind the inmate’s back and assisted moving the inmate to an administrative segregation area of the jail. While walking the inmate in a hallway that was not monitored by a video camera, BROWN stopped the inmate, admonished him, and hit the inmate. BROWN’s use of force caused the inmate to bleed from his mouth and left blood on the floor and wall. A fellow detention officer was shocked by BROWN’s behavior and immediately reported the conduct to a superior officer. Following the incident, BROWN wrote a memorandum to a supervisor that contained a false account of the incident.

The evidence in the case showed that later, in 2008, BROWN, JONES, and LANGFORD, along with and another detention officer, filed false incident reports omitting that jail staff entered the cell of an inmate and engaged in a physical altercation with the inmate a short time before the inmate was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell. According to trial testimony, BROWN, JONES, and LANGFORD entered the inmate’s cell and used force to subdue the inmate because the inmate was being loud and banging on his cell door and window. Approximately an hour after the group entered the cell, the inmate was discovered unresponsive and not breathing on the cell floor. The inmate was transported to Grady Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Court documents state that at the time of his death, the inmate was housed in the medical unit of the jail due to a mental health condition that required medication. According to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s report, the inmate’s cause of death was “probable disrhythmia associated with acute psychotic episode and agitation.”

These cases were investigated by special agents of the FBI.

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Georgia Doctor Convicted of Making False Statements to a Federal Officer

G.F. Peterman, III, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announces that on September 23, 2010, Bradford G. Brown, M.D., was convicted by a jury of his peers in federal court in Macon, Georgia.

Brown was convicted of one count of conspiracy to provide false information to a federal officer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371 in connection with Section 1001. Brown was also convicted of four counts of providing false information to a federal officer, Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001.

Brown will be sentenced in approximately 60 days at a date to be determined by the court. Brown faces a maximum possible penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment on each count.

Brown’s co-defendant, former Hancock County Commissioner Adam Jackson, entered a plea of guilty to Count One of conspiracy to provide false statements and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18, 2010.

The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Gregory McClendon. The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman.

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FBI Arrest of Child Predator in North Georgia

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, announces, on behalf of the Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force, the following arrest at Whitfield County, Georgia:

On Friday, June 19, 2009, Anthony Brown, 26 years old, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was arrested in Whitfield County, Georgia on state charges of criminal attempt-child exploitation related to his attempt to have sexual activity with an underage female. Brown traveled to Whitfield County, Georgia from Knoxville, Tennessee after having previously engaged in Internet based “chats” and e-mails with undercover officers/agents of the above task force.

Brown is currently being detained at the Whitfield County, Georgia Detention Facility.

The Northwest Georgia Crimes Against Children Task Force consists of federal agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and officers from the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Police Department, Dade County Sheriff’s Office, Rossville Police Department, and the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

The public is reminded that all persons are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Georgia Jail Officer Arrested on Civil Rights, Obstruction of Justice Charges

CURTIS JEROME BROWN, JR., 41, of Lithonia, Georgia, a former Fulton County Sheriff’s Detention Officer who worked at the Fulton County Jail, was arrested March 20, 2009, by FBI agents and charged with the felony offenses of violating civil rights, filing a false report, making false statements to federal agents, and two counts of obstruction of justice. BROWN is expected to make his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Gerrilyn Brill March 20.

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said: “All citizens—including citizens held as inmates in our jails—have a constitutional right not to be subjected to excessive force by law enforcement officers. The great majority of detention officers do their difficult and dangerous work with courage and professionalism. But officers who instead decide to physically abuse inmates will face federal investigation and prosecution. And anyone who tries to interfere with our investigations through false reports, false statements, witness tampering, and other obstruction of justice will also face prosecution, even if they were not involved in the underlying abuse.

U.S. Attorney Nahmias continued, “For those at the Fulton County Jail who believed that such serious crimes would be overlooked, or punished only by reassignment or termination, today’s action should serve as a wake-up call. Those who engage in such crimes should expect to be arrested, as this former officer was today, and ultimately to face their own time as an inmate. Our investigation into the two incidents described in the criminal complaint, as well as other incidents at the Fulton County Jail, is active and ongoing. Anyone who has information about such crimes is encouraged to contact the FBI at 404-679-9000, and any officer involved in such incidents will be much better off calling the FBI now than waiting for the FBI to show up at their door.”

FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Greg Jones said, “Law enforcement officers who tarnish the badge deserve the swiftest and harshest treatment the justice system will allow. Every proud and honorable member of our profession is outraged by what we’ve witnessed in this case, and with good cause. Our badges represent a sacred promise to protect and serve, not a shield behind which rogue officers may hide and abuse their authority. Those who have placed themselves above the law and who violate the civil rights of others should consider themselves warned: You may very well find yourself on the other side of the jailhouse door, and sooner than you think.”

Fulton County Sheriff Ted Jackson, who joined the United States Attorney in a brief news conference this afternoon, said of the case, “The violation of the civil rights of housed inmates is not tolerated by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. Any failure to comply with the Civil Rights Act will be pursued to the fullest extent of the law in coordination with federal authorities. The behavior described in the federal criminal complaint is not representative of the hard work and dedication of the employees of this jail.”

According to U.S. Attorney Nahmias, the charges and information presented in court: On August 11, 2007, BROWN, who was then a detention officer at the Fulton County Jail, allegedly violated the civil rights of an inmate at the jail by using excessive force against the inmate, causing bodily injury. After learning that the inmate had made derogatory remarks to another officer, BROWN allegedly took the inmate to another area of the jail with that officer and told a trustee to leave the area. BROWN then put on black leather gloves and hit the inmate—whose hands BROWN had cuffed behind the inmate’s back—in the face and head with his gloved fists until the inmate was bleeding, ignoring repeated requests by the other officer to stop the beating. The first officer and two other officers reported the incident to the Assistant Watch Commander.

BROWN then allegedly obstructed the investigation of the incident by, among other things, trying to convince the first officer and another officer to write their reports on the incident together with him, which the other officers believed was an effort to prevent them from telling the truth. BROWN then allegedly filed a false report regarding the incident, falsely claiming that the inmate had aggressively moved toward him and threatened to harm him and that he reacted by “giving an open hand smack” to the inmate’s face. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Department Office of Professional Standards (OPS) began investigating the assault on or about August 21, 2007, but the Sheriff’s Department took no action against BROWN for more than a year.

Meanwhile, according to the criminal complaint, on the night of March 18-19, 2008, another jail inmate was causing a commotion in his cell when BROWN and two other staff members allegedly entered the cell and engaged in a physical altercation with the inmate. According to eyewitness accounts, the inmate was on the floor when BROWN and the other staff members left the cell. After they left, the inmate was discovered unresponsive and not breathing on the cell floor and was transported to Grady Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The FBI began an investigation of the inmate’s suspicious in-custody death. On August 13, 2008, BROWN allegedly made false statements during an FBI interview, concealing that he had entered the cell prior to the discovery of the inmate unresponsive and not breathing and claiming that he took photos of the scene that were deleted from the jail’s digital camera and computer, when forensic review shows that no such photos were deleted. During testimony before a federal grand jury on August 28, 2008, BROWN again allegedly concealed his role in the physical altercation in the cell. BROWN was charged with making false statements to the FBI and obstruction of justice in relation to this incident.

BROWN was terminated by the Sheriff’s Department on October 22, 2008.

The federal investigation of both incidents and other incidents at the Fulton County Jail is continuing. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Department is cooperating in the investigation.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains only allegations. 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.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Brent Alan Gray and Angela M. Jordan are prosecuting the case.

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