Ex-jail officer admits taking bribes from bail-bond employee

A former Fulton County jail officer was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $5,000.

A former Fulton County jail officer was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $5,000.

A former Fulton County jail officer who admitted being involved in a bribery scheme with an employee of a bail-bond company was sentenced this week, the county’s top prosecutor said.

Robert James, 41, acknowledged accepting $7,000 from June 2014 through June 2015, Fulton district attorney spokeswoman Nakell Williams said in a news release.

James was paid by Gloria Garcia of AA OK Bail Bonds, Williams said. He also encouraged inmates at the Alpharetta facility of the Fulton County jail to use Garcia’s service, investigators said.

James pleaded guilty to bribery and violating his oath of office Tuesday, according to Williams. He was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $5,000.

He also pleaded guilty to engaging in the bail-bond business and giving advice on professional bondsmen services by a law enforcement officer.

James resigned from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail, in September 2015, according to the release.

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