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Reed probe may parallel Campbell, Boyer cases

Prosecutors showed how dogged they can be – when they set their sights on another Atlanta Mayor, Bill Campbell.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed

ATLANTA — Though his documents have been subpoenaed to be viewed by a federal grand jury, Mayor Kasim Reed won’t necessarily face prosecution. That’s the opinion of attorneys we’ve talked with who’ve handled government corruption cases.

A subpoena is a far cry from an accusation of a crime. But the subpoena targeting former Mayor Kasim Reed's documents appear to be part of a corruption case that had previously targeted associates of Reed.

PREVIOUS | Former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, other city employees named in subpoena

"That tells me it’s a lot further along in the investigation, that’s corroborated by the fact that we’ve had a recent plea," said Ken Hodges, a former Dougherty County district attorney who has tried cases involving politicians. "I would certainly advise Mr. Reed that he’s a target, in my opinion."

Prosecutors showed how dogged they can be – when they set their sights on another Atlanta Mayor, Bill Campbell.

Fourteen years ago, Campbell told reporters he’d won extra cash playing poker. Prosecutors claimed the money came from bribes. They spent years investigating, but failed to prove the corruption. Instead, they got one tax evasion conviction.

But years later, they did get a conviction of Elaine Boyer, a DeKalb County commissioner who went to prison for using her government credit card to pay personal expenses. The subpoena for Reed's documents seeks information about expenses on his government credit card.

"Investigations like this can lead to other things," Hodges said. "Just because some of the monies have been paid back doesn’t necessarily remove the criminal action or conduct, if in fact there was any."

But Hodges says prosecutors have to be careful making a case against a well-known politician. Jerry Froehlich, one of Campbell's defense attorneys, told 11Alive News that the Campbell case ought to present a cautionary tale for the U.S. Attorney's office against government overreach.

Following his conviction, Campbell offered what Reed might hear as words of caution.

"It’s hard to really describe the awesome weight of the entire government that was placed on me and scrutinizing my life and I think intimidating my friends and associates the last eight years," Campbell said in March 2004.

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