With nearly two weeks to go before he was scheduled to stand trial, Atlanta businessman Lohrasb “Jeff” Jafari has entered into a plea deal with federal authorities, admitting he paid bribes to government officials to obtain contracts for his company.
During a hearing in court on Wednesday morning, Jafari, 72 of Alpharetta, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiratorial bribery, substantive bribery and tax evasion. His sentencing is scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 19 before U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones.
Specifically, Jafari pleaded guilty to paying bribes to an Atlanta official in exchange for city contracts, according to the Department of Justice. Additionally, Jafari admitted he paid bribes to a former DeKalb County official in an effort to get county contracts, and he also tried to evade more than $1.5 million in taxes.
Jafari initially received a 51-count indictment from prosecutors in 2019 for allegedly committing bribery, tax evasion, and money laundering, among other charges. A federal grand jury in February returned a third superseding indictment for a total 53-count indictment.
Steve Sadow, Jafari’s defense attorney, declined to comment on Jafari’s plea deal.
Jafari is the former executive vice president of PRAD Group, which was an architectural, design, and construction management firm based in Atlanta. PRAD performed services for Atlanta and DeKalb from 1984 to 2018.
Jafari oversaw the company’s finances, but he also provided major campaign contributions to various city politicians. Prosecutors alleged that Jafari gave cash and other items to Adam Smith — Atlanta’s former Atlanta chief procurement officer — and former Atlanta Watershed Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina.
From at least 2014 to January 2017, Jafari paid Smith more than $40,000 in cash to ensure Smith provided city work to PRAD, prosecutors alleged. Likewise, prosecutors alleged Jafari and/or PRAD paid Macrina $30,000 in four separate payments between June and September 2016.
In exchange for those payments, Smith and Macrina worked with Jafari to ensure PRAD received millions of dollars in city contracts, prosecutors alleged. Their scheme allegedly included conspiring to replace two evaluators on the selection team for the city’s architectural and engineering contract, and to rescore an evaluation so PRAD would get a contract.
“Jafari tried to buy his way around a process that is meant to be fair to all contract applicants, and in doing so contributed to the public’s distrust in government,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Today’s plea is the direct result of the FBI and our partners continuous hard work and commitment to end public corruption in the city of Atlanta.”
Our reporting
Atlanta contractor Jeff Jafari is the third businessman indicted for allegedly paying cash for public Atlanta contracts. An AJC analysis found on at least two instances, bribes Jafari allegedly paid came a day after City Council votes that potentially benefited his company. Jafari initially pleaded not guilty in 2019. Five other people, including two members of former Mayor Kasim Reed’s cabinet, pleaded guilty in the federal investigation.
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