Politics
Politics

Defendants sought to bribe DeKalb commissioner, witness says

By Mark Niesse
June 25, 2014

A witness in a public corruption trial testified Wednesday that the defendants talked about DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson as someone who could help get them work on the county’s $1.7 billion sewer overhaul project.

Richard Zahn, a developer from Florida, said the defendants asked him to pay Watson between $50,000 and $60,000 and buy box seats for an Atlanta Falcons game for former DeKalb Purchasing Director Kelvin Walton.

“Commissioner Watson is going to need some sort of incentive,” said Zahn, describing what defendants Jonathan Pinson and Eric Robinson told him following a lunch in Atlanta.

Watson has denied being involved in the case, and no evidence has been presented indicating that he accepted payments or gifts.

Zahn was testifying as a witness for the prosecution after previously pleading guilty.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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