A former assistant to DeKalb County District Attorney Robert James has pleaded guilty to spending nearly $5,000 of taxpayers’ money on car repairs, property taxes and other personal purchases, including plane tickets for her family.
Clarissa Brown, who was fired from the prosecutor's office in November 2013, must repay the $4,763 that she misspent on her government charge card, perform 200 hours of community service and serve up to seven years on probation, according to a plea agreement. Brown's probation could end after two years if she completes the terms of her sentence.
“We got the county back the money that was clearly stolen, and we imposed a sufficient enough sentence,” said Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter, whose office prosecuted the case. “It would have been typical of any … other cases.”
Brown, 49, was an executive assistant to James responsible for handling the office's schedule, travel arrangements, reimbursements and supplies for three years.
She pleaded guilty to 10 felony counts of unauthorized use of a financial transaction card.
She began misusing her county purchasing card in April 2012, when she booked a hotel room in Savannah without authorization, according to court documents.
Then in May of the following year, she charged the public for brake service and other work on her personal vehicle. That July, she bought airline tickets for her family, booked a hotel room in Texas and rented a vehicle for non-government use. She charged for gas fill-ups several times, and even expensed property taxes for a home in Walker County.
James declared a conflict of interest that prevented him from prosecuting Brown’s case, and Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens appointed Porter as a special prosecutor.
James’ office cooperated with the investigation of Brown, said DeKalb District Attorney spokeswoman Megan Matteucci.
“When the information came to our attention, we immediately forwarded it to the GBI,” she said. “Other than that, we can’t say anything because of the conflict.”
Brown had a 26-year career with DeKalb’s government “that was blemished with a few acts of indiscretion,” said her attorney, Laila Kelly.
“Although Mrs. Brown was one of the very few employees to be formally charged, she clearly was not the only county employee to be found to have misused a county P-card,” Kelly said.
Kelly said she was disappointed that Brown’s case wasn’t resolved in a more informal manner. But she said the terms of the plea deal were reasonable.
At least two others — former DeKalb Commissioner Elaine Boyer and her chief of staff, Bob Lundsten — have pleaded guilty to purchasing card-related violations in DeKalb.
Boyer pleaded guilty to charges that she used her government-issued Visa card to pay for airline tickets, a ski resort booking, a rental car, her personal cell phone and other expenses. She also admitted to participating in an $85,000 kickback scheme. She is serving a 14-month prison sentence.
Lundsten was sentenced in November to a year on probation for misspending $310 at Kroger and the UPS Store.
An investigation by Mike Bowers and Richard Hyde identified more than $537,000 in questionable spending by county commissioners, James and other officials, though none has faced criminal charges. GBI Director Vernon Keenan decided this month against launching further investigations based on the findings of Bowers and Hyde.
James has reimbursed the county $1,915 for costs of meals that exceeded the county's $36 per day standard for food expenses while traveling, and he has said his purchases were for official county business.
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