An unnamed DeKalb County politician has been tied to yet another public corruption probe, this time accused of soliciting bribes in a federal case that stretches across three Southern states.
The 51-count indictment against South Carolina businessmen Jonathon Pinson and Eric Robinson — alleging racketeering, bribery and theft — includes two counts of fraud for a kickback scheme involving “an elected official” in DeKalb. No one in DeKalb has been charged in the case.
Tuesday, the six sitting county commissioners and interim CEO Lee May, who was a commissioner during the 2011 incidents, denied being that official, called a “councilman” in the indictment.
“I can’t believe there is another cloud rising with DeKalb County’s name to it,” May said. “It’s another black eye at a time when my biggest heartburn is how to build confidence back in our government.”
The 69-page indictment alleges Pinson — former chairman of South Carolina State University’s board of trustees — and his business partner Robinson used political and personal connections to enrich themselves through a host of white collar crimes.
Allegations include kickbacks — which they called “love offerings” — and bribes that the FBI caught on wiretaps in the case.
Among the alleged crimes caught is a plan “to pay a purported kickback” to that unnamed DeKalb official. There are at least two days’ of covert recordings that relate to DeKalb.
The scheme called for Florida developer Rick Zahn to pay the bribes to the DeKalb official in exchange for expected favorable treatment, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors allege Pinson and Robinson would act as “bagmen” and also discuss inflating the bribes so they could pocket some of the cash for themselves.
Zahn has already pleaded guilty to unrelated charges in the case, which also accuses Pinson of extorting a $100,000 Porsche Cayenne from Zahn. In exchange, Pinson is alleged to have used his influence to arrange for the university to buy a piece of property Zahn owned at an inflated price.
“I have no idea what it’s about, but it absolutely does not involve me,” said Commissioner Stan Watson.
Watson and May both acknowledge knowing Robinson from his management of Arizona’s Steakhouse at Stonecrest Mall, which is in their districts.
Arizona’s Steakhouse is one of several businesses that Robinson and Pinson own. The south DeKalb restaurant has served as a hub for political fundraisers and events for years, officials said.
The DeKalb County district attorney’s office is aware of the county’s role in the case and is conducting its own investigation, a spokeswoman for the office said.
The job will likely fall to the DA’s public integrity unit, which brought a political corruption case against suspended CEO Burrell Ellis last year.
Ellis’ trial for allegedly strong-arming county vendors for campaign cash and punishing those who didn’t give is scheduled for June.
The federal trial in South Carolina also is slated for June, and it’s likely that the DeKalb official in that case will not be made public until then.
Viola Davis, a longtime resident watchdog in DeKalb, was caught unaware by the federal case and the county’s role in it.
But she said it was a failing of the unnamed official that the media and public were not informed sooner.
“Any elected official who is part of this indictment, it is their sole responsibility to bring that information to the taxpayers and voters of DeKalb County,” Davis said. “Keeping that secret is in itself an admission of guilt. I mean, if it were me, I’d scream it from the mountaintops if I’m just a witness and have nothing to do with corruption.”
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