Mitchell faces foreclosures after City Hall bribery plea

Odis Williams, attorney for E.R. Mitchell, speaks with reporters after divorce hearing on Tuesday. PHOTO: LEON STAFFORD/AJC

Odis Williams, attorney for E.R. Mitchell, speaks with reporters after divorce hearing on Tuesday. PHOTO: LEON STAFFORD/AJC

Two months after he pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to pay $1 million in bribes for contracts at City Hall, Elvin “E.R.” Mitchell Jr. was back in front of a judge Tuesday facing foreclosure on his two homes, hefty property tax bills and new questions about his honesty.

Mitchell, a key figure in a federal investigation of a pay-to-play scheme in Atlanta’s central government, is accused by his estranged wife Marjorie Mitchell, of taking out the maximum in second mortgages on homes they own in Atlanta and Hilton Head without her knowledge.

He also is accused of racking up an overdue tax bill of $8,000 on the Hilton Head home and a special assessment of $4,000 on his home on Desoto Falls Court in Atlanta. Marjorie Mitchell has moved out and is living in an apartment.

Mitchell’s court appearance Tuesday is the latest development in an investigation that has rocked City Hall since January when Mitchell was charged and pleaded guilty in a bribery scheme prosecutors said led to millions in city contracts.

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