Ex-Stonecrest mayor running for council after imprisonment for fraud

He used shell companies and other deceptive tactics to take hundreds of thousands of dollars that the city was supposed to distribute to small businesses during the pandemic. Lary used the money to pay the mortgage on a lake house and other debts.

He was released from U.S. Bureau of Prisons custody in February and remains under supervised release for three years, documents show.

Lary told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he was released early after completing a program for first-time nonviolent offenders.

Georgia law says people who have been convicted of a felony “involving moral turpitude” cannot hold elected office until at least 10 years after completing their sentences. The state must also restore their rights to vote, something that does not usually occur during supervised release.

Stonecrest City Clerk Sonya Isom did not return a message Monday seeking information on Lary’s qualification.

Elections offices usually qualify candidates initially, but leave their eligibility open to challenges, said Bryan Tyson, an election lawyer in the Atlanta office of international firm Clark Hill. Any registered voter in Lary’s district can challenge his eligibility within 14 days after the qualifying period, which ended Friday. Isom could also challenge Lary’s eligibility at any time.

“You kind of assume people are qualified until something says the opposite,” Tyson said.

If challenged, the burden of proof will be on Lary to prove he is eligible, Tyson said.

In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Lary highlighted his background leading Stonecrest’s cityhood movement. The city of about 61,000 people was incorporated in 2017.

Lary said the current City Council is not living up to the promises Stonecrest was founded on.

“Our development, our mantra of live, work, play, shop, educate — that vision is not being executed,” he said.

Lary also said he wanted to atone for his mistakes.

“I want to ask the people and the citizens and the constituents and my family and my friends for forgiveness and for a second chance to serve,” he said. “I still have value.”

Adoma is a former Stonecrest council member who ran against Lary for mayor in 2019 but did not vacate her council seat as state law required until a judge issued a restraining order.

Election Day is Nov. 4.

If Lary is elected, voters in his district can still challenge his eligibility to hold office on the grounds of his prior convictions. Georgia law also says people who have been convicted of “malfeasance in office” cannot hold elected office until their civil rights have been restored.

Staff writer Rosie Manins contributed to this article.