Recently elected Snellville Mayor Tom Witts is under investigation, according to Channel 2 Action News.
Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter said investigators seized computers in sweeps at Witts’ business and home late last month looking at campaign affidavits where Witts swore he didn’t owe money to the state.
“From there, we’ve also moved into other areas about use of campaign funds and withholding taxes in his private business,” Porter said.
Channel 2 called Witts Monday. He referred Channel 2 to his criminal attorney, who didn’t return calls or emails.
Paperwork was taken from Snellville City Hall, where state and county investigators swept the hallways.
“We also discovered some payments that were made by the city and entities that received money from the city to his business which may or may not be problematic,” Porter said.
The issue of possible back taxes came up in last year’s heated mayoral race. At the time, then council member Witts told Channel 2 it was a non-issue and displayed paperwork he said proved he was in the clear.
“This is money that I took from my 401k that I’m paying taxes and penalties on now,” Witts said.
While Witts has a payment plan set up for federal taxes, the investigation is focusing on state taxes, according to Channel 2.
The state Department of Revenue confirmed Monday it is involved in the investigation. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation also has an active investigation underway, but a representative wouldn’t say what it is regarding, according to Channel 2.
“We are fairly close to being able to present it to a grand jury,” Porter said.
So far, no charges have been filed against Witts.
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