DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. -- A former DeKalb County Commissioner pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges of mail fraud conspiracy and wire fraud on Wednesday.
Elaine Boyer, who had to pay the county back for thousands of dollars in unauthorized charges on her county-issued credit card, resigned in August.
As 11Alive reported in March, a review of Elaine Boyer's spending found charges for airline tickets, car rentals and other items unrelated to any official county business.
In newly-released court documents, prosecutors allege that Boyer took part in a scheme to defraud DeKalb County and obtain money under false pretenses.(READ THE DOCUMENTS HERE)
Federal prosecutors said the case against Boyer is part of a larger investigation into corruption in DeKalb County government.
Prosecutors say Boyer stole more than $90,000 from the county treasury. They say she set up a kickback scheme with a bogus contractor, paying him $78,000 in county funds, then getting $58,000 of it kicked back to her personal bank account.
Boyer is also accused of using her county credit card for some $15,000 worth of personal purchases.
"She accepts full responsibility for the decisions that she's made and she has acknowledged that she has abused the trust of the folks of DeKalb County," said Jeff Brickman, Boyer's attorney.
Boyer will be sentenced on December 3. She faces the possibility of up to 20 years in prison for each of the the two counts.
Prosecutors say Boyer is cooperating in her case and recommend a sentence at the bottom of the guideline. However, U.S. Attorney Sally Yates also said last week she wants to see Boyer get jail time.
Boyer sent her letter of resignation to Gov, Nathan Deal on August 25.
In it she said "I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to have served in this capacity for the last twenty-two years and want to thank my constituents for their years of support. I wish the citizens of this county and my colleagues all the best."
She gave no specifics of why she stepped down in the letter.
Interim DeKalb County CEO Lee May issued a statement about the case:
"Recent news stories notwithstanding, Elaine Boyer has faithfully served the constituents of District 1 and DeKalb County for over 20 years. It is my sincere hope that her resignation will allow the healing process to begin and open the door for a new voice on the Board of Commissioners. I wish her the best."
