Former DeKalb Police Lieutenant Indicted for Bribery

WILLIE DAREN DURRETT, 45, of Atlanta, was arraigned today (March 7) before United States Magistrate Judge C. Christopher Hagy. DURRETT faces federal charges of accepting bribes in return for taking official action as a sergeant, and later as a lieutenant, with the DeKalb County Police Department. Co-defendant DONALD E. FRANK, who was previously indicted for accepting bribes while he served as deputy chief of police for DeKalb County, is also named in the indictment and faces the same charges. AMIN BUDHWANI previously pleaded guilty to paying bribes to FRANK.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the case, “Our community expects and deserves police officers who will serve the citizens and not sell their badge to someone holding out cash. In this case, the officer placed his personal and financial interests ahead of the public he was sworn to serve. Combatting public corruption will continue to be a top priority for this office.”

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated, “The FBI is fully prepared to undertake these types of public corruption investigations and fully understands the impact that these types of activities can have, if left unchecked, on the proper operation of a government or police agency. The public deserves better than the actions of this officer and is reminded that the FBI should be contacted with regard to any information involving police or government corruption.”

“I support the continued efforts of federal authorities to efface public corruption,” said DeKalb County Police Chief William O’Brien. “Willie Durrett resigned from the DeKalb County Police Department weeks before this indictment and prior to our agency having the opportunity to take disciplinary action. It is reprehensible that this former lieutenant chose to violate the law instead of upholding it. It is acts such as this that undermine law enforcement's efforts to maintain public trust.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges, and other information presented in court: DURRETT accepted bribes from BUDHWANI on three separate occasions in 2007 and 2008. DURRETT resigned this past Monday.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.00. In determining the actual sentence, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

DURRETT and FRANK were indicted by a federal grand jury on March 1, 2011. BUDHWANI was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 18, 2010, and pleaded guilty on June 1, 2010.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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Former Officers of Failed Atlanta Bank Plead Guilty to Fraud

Douglas Ballard, 40, pleaded guilty July 6 in federal district court to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and to receive bribes, and to one count of tax evasion; and Joseph Todd Foster, 42, pleaded guilty to securities fraud. Ballard and Foster, both of Atlanta, were senior vice presidents of Integrity Bank, a $1 billion financial institution that failed and was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in August 2008.

“Among the roots of our nation’s financial crisis were criminal acts by bank insiders and major borrowers that contributed to the failures or bailouts of financial institutions previously believed to be secure,” said U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “Today we announce that two of these corrupt insiders here in Atlanta will be trading in their corporate offices for federal prison.”

“Those who line their pockets with profits of bank fraud schemes should know they will not go undetected and they will be held accountable,” said Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Reginael McDaniel. “IRS-Criminal Investigation is proud to be part of the law enforcement dragnet bringing these individuals to justice.”

According to U.S. Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: Ballard, Integrity Bank’s former executive vice president in charge of lending, admitted that he conspired with the bank’s major customer, co-defendant Guy Mitchell, to receive bribes from Mitchell and to assist Mitchell in receiving millions in loan draws under false pretenses. Ballard admitted in court to receiving over $200,000 in cash and other corrupt payments from Mitchell in exchange for Ballard’s assistance in distributing millions of loan draws. During this same time, Ballard caused Integrity Bank to distribute nearly $20 million in loan proceeds to Mitchell’s personal account, much of which was allegedly used for Mitchell’s personal consumption (including the purchase of a private island in the Bahamas). Mitchell requested and Ballard paid nearly $7 million of these draws out of a construction loan relating specifically to supposed construction and renovation at the “Casa Madrona,” a luxury hotel owned by Mitchell in Sausalito, Calif. The indictment alleges that none of this money was used for construction, and in fact no renovations had occurred.

Foster, Integrity’s former vice president in charge of risk management, pleaded guilty to charges that he committed securities fraud by way of what is commonly referred to as “insider trading.” Specifically, he admitted to having sold nearly all his shares of Integrity’s stock on the basis of material adverse information about the company of which Foster was aware by virtue of his inside position, but of which the public was generally unaware. Specifically, Foster dumped his shares of Integrity stock based on his knowledge that the bank was facing an increasingly substantial but undisclosed risk that its major customer, Mitchell, would default on over $80 million in outstanding loans.

Ballard was indicted in April 2010 on more than 20 counts of bank fraud, receipt of bribes, securities fraud, evasion of currency reporting requirements, and conspiracy. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and one additional new count of tax evasion. He could receive a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. Foster, also indicted in April 2010, was indicted on two counts of securities fraud and today pleaded guilty to one count. He could receive up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. A date for sentencing has not yet been set before U.S. District Judge Julie E. Carnes.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of the FBI, FDIC-Office of the Inspector General, and the IRS as part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The investigation remains ongoing as to other potential misconduct relating to the failure of this major Atlanta bank. Both defendants have agreed to cooperate in that ongoing investigation.

President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

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Former U.S. Military Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to Defense Department Contracts in Support of Iraqi War

Former military contractor Terry Hall, 43, of Snellville, Ga., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay more than $3 million in bribes to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at Camp Arifjan, an Army base in Kuwait, and to money laundering conspiracy, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.

Terry Hall was indicted on May 6, 2009, along with U.S. Army Major Eddie Pressley, 39, and his wife, Eurica Pressley, 37, both of Harvest, Ala.According to court documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Hall’s companies received approximately $21 million between 2005 and 2007 in connection with contracts his companies received.To obtain the contracting business and facilitate unlawful payments by other contractors, Hall admitted he made more than $3 million in unlawful payments and provided other valuable items and services to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at Camp Arifjan, including U.S. Army Major Eddie Pressley, and former Majors John Cockerham, James Momon and Christopher Murray, among others.

According to court documents, Hall owned and operated several companies, including Freedom Consulting and Catering Co., (FCC) and Total Government Allegiance (TGA), which provided goods and services to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom.Hall’s companies received a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to deliver bottled water in Iraq and a contract to construct a security fence in Kuwait.

A BPA is an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract by which the DoD agrees to pay a contractor a specified price for a particular good or service. ased on a BPA, the DoD is permitted to order the supplies on an as-needed basis, and the contractor is bound by the price agreed upon in the BPA.The term for this type of order by the DoD is a “call.”

The case against Hall arose out of a wide-ranging investigation of corruption at the Camp Arifjan contracting office.To date, eight individuals including Hall have pleaded guilty for their roles in the bribery scheme.

On Dec. 2, 2009, former Cockerham was sentenced to 210 months in prison and ordered to pay $9.6 million in restitution. According to court documents, Cockerham arranged for Hall’s companies to receive bottled water calls worth more than $2.6 million, as a result of which Hall paid Cockerham approximately $800,000.

According to court documents, Momon arranged for Hall’s companies to receive bottled water calls worth approximately $6.4 million, as a result of which Hall paid Momon more than $300,000.Momon pleaded guilty on Aug. 13, 2008, to receiving bribes from various contractors at Camp Arifjan, including Hall, and is awaiting sentencing.

Also according to court documents, Murray arranged for Hall to receive contracts to construct security fences at Camp Arifjan, as a result of which Hall paid Murray approximately $30,000.Murray pleaded guilty to receiving bribes from various contractors at Camp Arifjan, including Hall, and making a false statement.He was sentenced on Jan. 8, 2009, to 57 months in prison and ordered to pay $245,000 in restitution.

The case against Eddie Pressley and his wife, Eurica Pressley, is scheduled for trial on April 5, 2010.The indictment alleges that the Pressleys received more than $2.8 million in money and other valuable items from Hall, in exchange for Eddie Pressley’s agreement to take official actions to benefit Hall.Eurica Pressley, at her husband’s request, allegedly arranged for an entity named EGP Business Solutions Inc., (EGP) to be incorporated, opened a bank account in the name of EGP, and opened bank accounts in her name in the United States, Dubai, United Arab Emirates and the Cayman Islands, all in order to receive the bribe payments.

The charge of bribery conspiracy carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine.The money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.According to the court documents, Hall will forfeit $15,757,000 to the U.S. government.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Peter C. Sprung and Edward J. Loya Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section.The case is being investigated by special agents of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service, and the FBI.

The National Procurement Fraud Task Force, created in October 2006 by the Department of Justice, was designed to promote the early detection, identification, prevention, and prosecution of procurement fraud associated with the increase in government contracting activity for national security and other government programs.

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Telfair County Sheriff Sentenced to 36 Months' Imprisonment on Corruption Charges

Edmund A. Booth, Jr., United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that Jimmie W. Williamson, age 48, the former Sheriff of Telfair County, Georgia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Dublin, Georgia, before U.S. District Judge Dudley H. Bowen, Jr. to 36 months' imprisonment.

Booth noted that Williamson was charged by a criminal Information in December 2008 with devising a scheme to deprive the citizens of Telfair County of his honest services as their Sheriff from approximately 2004 to the present through a variety of corrupt activities, including:

* the embezzlement of fine and bond money paid by individuals arrested in Telfair County for his own personal use instead of properly sending such money to the Telfair County courts;
* the acceptance of bribes from individuals arrested in Telfair County in exchange for reducing or dismissing the pending charges against them; and
* the improper purchase of items for his own personal use with funds belonging to and for the exclusive use of the Sheriff’s Department.

Williamson pled guilty to those charges in January 2009.

Booth stated that the Court sentenced Williamson on those convictions to 36 months' imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. While on supervised release, Williamson will be required to perform 150 hours of community service. Booth further commented that Williamson was also ordered to pay restitution of the embezzled fine and bond money to the Telfair County courts.

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