Two metro Atlanta woman face charges in connection with a bribery scheme that landed a former DeKalb County tax official in prison.
Lesbia Lily Gonzalez Moreno, 46, of Atlanta, and Ailin Michelle Maldonado, 24, of Norcross, were indicted on multiple fraud and bribery charges earlier this month, U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said in a Monday news release. The two are accused of bribing Gerald D. Harris, a former supervisor in the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office, to illegally register vehicles without proper licenses.
Harris pleaded guilty to bribery and blackmail charges in July and was sentenced to two years in federal prison last month. He also received three years of supervised release following the time behind bars.
Harris admitted to accepting more than $35,000 in bribes to illegally register vehicles between July 2017 and November 2019, authorities said. Moreno and Maldonado are accused of giving him thousands of dollars in bribes during a roughly six-month period last year. Each bribe was about $200, according to prosecutors.
Moreno, who also faces seven counts of wire fraud in an unrelated case, was recently arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Justin S. Anand, the release said. Maldonado made an initial appearance before a magistrate judge in Denver. Information on their custody was not provided.
The FBI, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s Office and the Georgia Department of Revenue investigated their cases.
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