John Boyer, the husband of former DeKalb County Commissioner Elaine Boyer, was sentenced Wednesday to serve a year and a day in a federal prison camp for an $85,000 kickback scheme that funneled most of that money to the couple’s bank account.
Boyer, a 63-year-old chiropractor, admitted to defrauding taxpayers when he pleaded guilty in February. Elaine Boyer is already serving a 14-month sentence following her guilty plea last year.
“Corruption in DeKalb County is rampant, and its residents are frustrated and disheartened,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Davis in federal court. “There are real and severe consequences for violating the law and the public trust.”
Under a plea agreement, Boyer cooperated with federal authorities in their ongoing investigations. Last week, a federal grand jury indicted Rooks Boynton, an evangelist who posed as a consultant for the commissioner and then returned most of the government money he received to the couple.
Boyer instructed Boynton to deposit about $60,000 into the couple’s account to pay for their personal living expenses, according to federal prosecutors.
“I admit that, and it has been devastating to my family and me personally,” Boyer said in court.
Boyer also provided information to special investigators looking into corruption and waste in DeKalb County.
Boyer’s attorney, Dwight Thomas, had requested a sentence of home confinement, community service and probation, but U.S. District Judge Orinda Evans said prosecutors’ recommendation for a yearlong sentence was appropriate.
“I think you have learned your lesson. I think you are genuinely sorry for what you did,” Evans said.
The Boyers will have to repay $87,300 in restitution to DeKalb’s government.
He will be eligible for early release from prison for good behavior after about 10 months.
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