A former longtime mayor of Douglasville was indicted Friday on charges he knowingly and fraudulently submitted requests to be paid for attending meetings that weren’t sanctioned by city government, according to a published report.
A Douglas County grand jury returned a 91-count indictment against former Mayor Mickey Thompson, according to the Douglas County Sentinel. He is charged with misdemeanor theft by taking.
Efforts were being made Friday to reach Thompson for comment. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said it had no record of Thompson’s being taken into custody as of late afternoon Friday.
Douglasville, 20 miles west of Atlanta, is a city of more than 30,000 residents. Thompson left office in December 2011 after serving 12 years as mayor and four years as a councilman. He is running for the newly created state House District 66 seat.
Thompson allegedly received $28,483 in illegal payments from the city. The indictment against the former mayor followed a review of city records by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at the request the Douglas County District Attorney David McDade and Sheriff Phil Miller.
Investigators found that Thompson allegedly submitted multiple payment requests for teleconferences and other meetings not covered by a 1997 ordinance, according to the Sentinel
Under the ordinance, the mayor receives $313 for each approved meeting attended, and council members receive $125. In 2007, the city clarified its compensation rules to require the mayor and council members to physically present for more than half a meeting or session to receive payment. Members cannot be paid for appearing at meetings via an electronic device.
Though Thompson was the only official indicted, the investigation found that every elected official except current Mayor Harvey Persons had received illegal payments, according to the Sentinel. Some had been told to submit requests for any meeting, and others were paid even though it was determined that the meetings were not approved.
The Sentinel’s own investigation into the payments led to the criminal probe. It obtained three years of city records, including meeting attendance sheets, records of payments and other documents, after filing an Open Records request
