If a Marietta City Councilman hadn’t post-dated a letter to Marietta’s Probation Department, he might have gotten away with saying his girlfriend completed her community service hours.
But a Cobb County jury on Thursday convicted 58-year-old Anthony Calvin Coleman of making false statements, which is a felony. He actually has a history of angry incidents and arrests, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
He’s now facing up to five years in prison and a $1,000 fine, Kimberly Isaza, a spokeswoman for the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office, said in a news release.
“This is a clear abuse of the public trust by an elected official,” District Attorney Vic Reynolds said.
Jurors acquitted Coleman of two other counts of making a false statement and one count of racketeering.
In a letter dated Dec. 15, 2013, Coleman said Terry Jones Mays, his girlfriend, completed 59 hours of community service at Marietta Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
But officials said Coleman gave the letter to the Probation Department at least five days earlier.
Deputy Chief ADA John Melvin, who prosecuted the case, called Coleman corrupt and compared him to other public officials who’ve been charged with crimes.
“Mr. Coleman demonstrated an outrageous abuse of his position and violated the public trust,” Melvin said. “The jury spoke clearly with this guilty verdict: Cobb County applies the law equally to all.”
Cobb Superior Court Judge C. LaTain Kell set sentencing for 1:30 p.m. Monday and allowed Coleman to remain free until sentencing.
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