A former supervisor in the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner’s office who pleaded guilty to bribery and blackmail charges in July was sentenced to two years in federal prison Tuesday.
Gerald D. Harris, 51, received his sentence after admitting that he accepted more than $35,000 in bribes to illegally register vehicles, as well as threatened to blackmail a person who attempted to bribe him.
“By accepting bribe payments, Harris sold his integrity for money — and, in doing so, betrayed the trust of the citizens of DeKalb County,” U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said. “Then, in a truly bold display of audacity, Harris tried to blackmail one of the individuals who had previously paid him bribes.”
According to U.S. Department of Justice officials, Harris accepted payments on a sliding scale depending on the legal requirements he skirted. For $100, he would renew registrations for vehicles that had not passed emissions inspections. For about $200, he would register vehicles to people who did not have Georgia driver’s licenses. And for bribes ranging from $500 to $1,000 per vehicle, Harris would register cars that did not have proper documentation, such as titles or title/tag applications.
After Harris was fired from the DeKalb tax office for accepting bribes, he tried to blackmail one of his bribers for additional cash by threatening to hand them over to the FBI.
After his two-year prison sentence, Harris faces three more years of supervised release.
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Credit: WSBTV Videos
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