{"id":26975,"date":"2016-10-04T16:09:19","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T23:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=26975"},"modified":"2016-10-04T16:09:19","modified_gmt":"2016-10-04T23:09:19","slug":"ex-federal-supervisor-sentenced-for-accepting-bribes-to-allow-illegally-dumping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=26975","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Federal Supervisor Sentenced for Accepting Bribes to Allow Illegally Dumping"},"content":{"rendered":"

ATLANTA\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

\"criminal_justice_jurisprudenceA federal judge on Tuesday sentenced George H. Bell, former Georgia Department of Transportation’s Assistant Area Maintenance Foreman to four years and six months in prison for accepting bribes to allow 2,600 truckloads of dirt to be dumped in DeKalb County, officials said.<\/p>\n

The dumping resulted in “substantial environmental” damage, requring more than $1.5 million in clean-up costs, according to officials.<\/p>\n

Unsuitable dirt is dirt that has been removed during construction or landscaping projects that cannot be built upon in the future. In this case, the dirt contained construction debris, including nails, concrete and asphalt fragments, and various pieces of metal.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor less than $15,000 in bribes, Bell abused his supervisory position with the G-DOT by allowing others to dump massive amounts of unsuitable dirt throughout DeKalb County,\u201d said U.S. Attorney John A. Horn. \u201cBell\u2019s greed and willingness to compromise the trust of his public office has left all Georgians with environmental damage and a clean-up tab of more than $1.5 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bell was ordered to pay $1,553,184 in restitution, officials said.<\/p>\n

According to Horn and court evidence, Bell worked for G-DOT for approximately 15 years. By the end of his career, Bell served as a supervisor.<\/p>\n

In that capacity, Bell oversaw various maintenance projects under the control of G-DOT, including repairs of Georgia roadway system and general maintenance activities.<\/p>\n

From approximately April to December 2014, Bell accepted cash bribe payments from the owners of a dirt hauling company. \u00a0In exchange for those bribe payments, Bell allowed the company to dump.<\/p>\n

In April 2014, the Dirt Company asked Bell if G-DOT would accept multiple loads of dirt. Bell allowed the unsuitable dirt to be dumped at G-DOT site, but then charged the Dirt Company $600 to dump the dirt. Bell used G-DOT personnel and equipment to spread the dirt after the Dirt Company had dumped it.<\/p>\n

After that, Bell and the dirt-hauling company agreed to pay Bell $5 per load and $7 per load \u00a0if Bell used Department of Transportation personnel and equipment to spread the dirt, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

For several months thereafter, Bell accepted bribe payments from the Dirt Company in exchange for allowing it to dump illegally unsuitable dirt at G-DOT locations. In total, the Dirt Company paid Bell almost $15,000 in bribe payments.<\/p>\n

Overall, Bell permitted over 30,000 cubic yards of dirt to be dumped at the sites.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Unfortunately, Bell also allowed the dirt company to dump some dirt in a protected wetland and at a location where the dirt entered Stone Mountain Lake.\u00a0 Based on the massive amount of unsuitable dirt that Bell allowed to be dumped, the clean-up costs associated with his criminal acts exceeded $1.5 million.<\/p>\n

On April 15, 2016, Bell, 50, of Lithonia, Georgia, plead guilty to conspiring to accept bribes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis case serves as a reminder that public corruption has consequences. The consequences for Mr. Bell in betraying the public\u2019s trust and violating established regulations and policy is a lengthy federal prison sentence.\u00a0 The consequences for the public in which Mr. Bell was supposed to have been serving is $1.5 million in unanticipated and non-budgeted clean-up costs,\u201d said FBI Quote George Crouch, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.<\/p>\n

Adding, \u201cIt is paramount that public officials committing crimes be held accountable for their actions.\u00a0 The investigation and prosecution of public corruption is a priority for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.\u00a0 The GBI will continue to work with our state and federal partners to ensure that public corruption cases are aggressively pursued,\u201d said Vernon Keenan, Director, Georgia Bureau of Investigation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ATLANTA\u00a0 A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced George H. 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