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Metro Atlanta

DeKalb pays $1.5M to settle corruption lawsuit

Paul Champion, a former DeKalb County contractor, will be paid $1.5 million as a result of a settlement with the county over allegations that he was underpaid for work performed in 2008.
Paul Champion, a former DeKalb County contractor, will be paid $1.5 million as a result of a settlement with the county over allegations that he was underpaid for work performed in 2008.
By
Feb 10, 2017

A $1.5 million settlement will resolve one of DeKalb County's longest-running corruption cases.

The county agreed in court Friday to pay the money to Paul Champion, who alleged that the county withheld $888,000 that he was owed for clearing 500 miles of land for a manhole mapping project. Champion also said a former county employee solicited a bribe from him.

The case led to a sweeping special grand jury investigation into government corruption, which eventually targeted former DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis.

Ellis was later charged and found guilty of attempted extortion and perjury, but his convictions were overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court.

Please read the full story on MyAJC.com.

About the Author

Mark Niesse covers 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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