Former DeKalb County Commissioner Elaine Boyer reported to a federal prison camp in Florida today to begin serving her 14-month sentence for defrauding taxpayers of more than $100,000.
Boyer, who represented a 140,000-person district in North DeKalb for 22 years, will serve her time at the federal correctional institution in Marianna, Fla., according to court records. She’ll be held in a minimum security section of the facility.
She must complete at least 85 percent of her sentence, which means she’ll likely be imprisoned for nearly a year.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Boyer pleaded guilty in September to charges that she engineered a kickback scheme with a consultant to funnel money back to her. She also admitted using her county Visa card for personal purposes to pay for items including family airfare and a ski resort booking.
Boyer’s plea deal required her to cooperate with prosecutors in their ongoing investigations of DeKalb County, and she was ordered to pay $87,300 in restitution to the county.
Her husband, John Boyer, also has pleaded guilty to his involvement in their scheme. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 19.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.