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. Yet Lary and others asked that these contributions be given not to Stonecrest, but to entities called Visit Us, Inc. and Battleground Media, LLC. Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary is met by FOX 5 I-Team Reporter Randy Travis as he walks into the federal courthouse in Atlanta to enter a guilty plea to stealing CARES Act money on Jan.. The discussion comes after the censure of Stonecrest's mayor for comments he made during a meeting. A lock ( Lary wont be required to report to prison until after Dec. 15, giving him time for more cancer treatments. The about-face came in. Jason Lary admitted he stole more than $650,000 in CARES Act money that was supposed to help struggling businesses and church. Sandra D. Smith has been arraigned on federal charges of wire fraud and theft of government funds. We are putting measures into place to prevent what we experienced during the meeting.. Suite 600 He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $119,607.69. One of the grants was to his church, which he awarded $150,000. However, federal authorities said Lary worked behind the scenes with an organization known as Municipal Resource Partners Corporation, Inc. ("MRPC") to disburse the relief funds. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Check back for details. Lary used three different methods to steal the funds Stonecrest disbursed to MRPC. I will show you my hairy behind next time it happens and that's the only warning I'm going to give with this.". Ronald Bell, who conspired to extort money from Georgia Institute of Technology, has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit extortion. Jason Lary, who announced his resignation as the mayor of Stonecrest, pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. Stonecrest did not disburse the $6 million allocated to the Stonecrest Cares Program and Small Business Program. Boone agreed to cooperate with government agents, provide records and testify at future trials. 2022-02-12 - By Zachary Hansen zachary.hansen@ajc.com. and were incurred during the period that [began] on March 1, 2020, and [ended] on December 30, 2020. Examples of eligible expenditures were medical expenses, public health expenses, and grants to small businesses to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closures. Instead, $108,000 dollars were transferred to pay off the mortgage on a lakefront propertyowned by the former mayor. None the less, I will continue to serve the people of the great city of Stonecrest.". As mayor, he took control of who received $6.2 million in CARES Act money. STONECREST, Ga. - A bookkeeper hired by former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary has pleaded guilty to conspiracy for her part in a scheme to steal COVID relief funds. Lock The relief funds were designed to cover costs during the public health emergency. Official websites use .gov In another case, Lary allegedly gave a church $50,000. 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 indictment alleges that Smith stole more than $450,000 in Social Security Administration Northern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, Former U.S. His sentencing hearing has been set for May 2. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lary announced his resignation to the city on a Zoom call Tuesday.. Jason Lary, the former mayor of Stonecrest, pleaded guilty, according to a news release. Larys last public address to his constituents delivered one last bombshell moment to his tenure. That decision will be made at a later date. District 3 Councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble announced last week she will resign her post once she qualifies to run for mayor, and former District 5 councilwoman Diane Adoma told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she will run as well. Lary pleaded guilty to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy on January 5, 2022. The. In general, according to the Department of the Treasury, relief funds could only be used to cover costs that [were] necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency. Around the same time, Lary directed approximately $7,600 in stolen relief funds to be used for Boones sons college tuition and rent. Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor C. Wilmot prosecuted the case. The 60-year-old Lary pleaded guilty in January to fraud and theft charges. Lary is expected to be sentenced on July 13 at 10 a.m. 75 Ted Turner Dr. SW Later, in March 2021, after learning of an investigation into the citys handling of relief funds and knowing that the business had never filed paperwork to support the grant, Clarence Boone attempted to conceal the scheme by directing the businesss owner to submit an application that contained false statements, even though the Small Business Program had already ceased operations. Lania Boone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit federal program theft on February 11, 2022. 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 mayor. Jones tried to get a comment from Larys attorney after court, but he refused to make a statement. A lock ( An official website of the United States government. U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash sentenced Stonecrest ex-mayor Jason Lary to 57 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay nearly $120,000 in restitution. Boone, who wrote the bulk of the checks using the stolen funds, agreed with that Friday in court. Lary is accused of stealing more than $650,000 in COVID-19 relief funds meant to help the people of Stonecrest who he was supposed to serve. Instead of being a trustworthy steward of CARES Act funding, Clarence Boone and his co-conspirators schemed to misappropriate those funds to enrich themselves at the expense of those less fortunate. Then, Lary caused the city to enter a contract with MPRC to disburse the relief funds as directed by Stonecrest. DeKalb County then disbursed $6.2 million of these relief funds to Stonecrest. While I was out on cancer leave, they removed me from every committee I created, refused to pay my car allowance, while paying six figures to the finance director and $209,000 annually to the acting city manager (including a car allowance). The former mayor of Stonecrest and a bookkeeper who administered COVID-19 relief funds to the town pleaded guilty in federal court this month to charges related to the theft of pandemic relief funds. With Lary now 60 years old and with no criminal history, his legal team requested that house arrest, community service and statutory required supervision be considered for his sentence. The 60-year-old Lary pleaded guilty in January to fraud and theft charges. 2023 FOX Television Stations, resignation went into effect at 10 a.m. Wednesday, he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief. Lary also made the defendants wife, Lania Boone, the bookkeeper charged with distributing relief funds. 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), 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. In Larys guilty plea, he admitted to making sure that Boone was hired as Municipal Resource Partners bookkeeper. 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. 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. The rescue team said the man was buried up to his neck in soil. The last day Stonecrest residents can register to vote in time for the special election is April 25. Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary and his former bookkeeper have pleaded guilty to charges related to allegedly stealing COVID relief funds awarded to Stonecrest during the pandemic, officials said. He declined to say what type of cancer he is battling but said it seems to be resurfacing for the third time. Boone was the companys bookkeeper and wrote multiple checks to disburse the funds, records show. Up to $10,000 reward now being offered in finding missing Georgia family man in Baton Rouge, Woman shot near DeKalb gas station; police say person cut her off, pulled out handgun, Forecast | Bright sunshine returns for the weekend, Metro Atlanta, north Georgia hit with widespread damage after storms produce powerful winds, Former Stonecrest mayor, bookkeeper plead guilty to theft of COVID relief funds, Ex-Stonecrest mayor pleads guilty to federal fraud charges, Stonecrest mayor, who is facing federal charges, says he will resign. accused of personally profiting from COVID-19 relief money. He then asked the church to give $50,000 back to one of the companies included in the scheme. He then asked the church to give $50,000 back to one of the companies included in the scheme. "I came back too early from my second round with cancer. Stonecrest mayor appeared in federal court about misusing CARES fund Mayor Jason Lary and others in the city of Stonecrest is charged with mishandling 650,000 of CARES money meant for the citizens of Stonecrest. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]. The U.S. Attorney's Office alleges Mayor Jason Lary misused $6.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The former mayor of Stonecrest who pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges is making a punishment request. The former Mayor of Stonecrest Jason Lary pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing COVID-19 relief funds that were supposed to go to struggling businesses. For more information on the Departments response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus. Former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary is asking for a lighter sentence than he faces after pleading guilty to allegedly stealing COVID relief funds awarded to the city during the pandemic. Jason Lary, whose resignation went into effect at 10 a.m. Wednesday, pleaded guilty to three counts involving wire fraud, theft of government funds and conspiracy. It's been five years since a Carroll County man mysteriously disappeared from his home. The relief funds deposited into the Visit Us and Battleground Media accounts were used by Lary to benefit himself and his associates.