Guilty verdicts in DeKalb-related corruption case
The former chairman of the board of South Carolina State University was found guilty of most charges against him last week after a trial involving allegations of plans to bribe a DeKalb County official.
The federal jury on Thursday convicted Jonathan Pinson on 29 of 45 felony counts, including racketeering. Co-defendant Eric Robinson, who was Pinson’s business partner, was found not guilty on seven counts.
The judge in the case had previously thrown out two counts against them related to accusations that they tried to arrange a bribe of DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson and suspended DeKalb County Purchasing Director Kelvin Walton.
A witness, former construction company CEO Richard Zahn, had testified that the defendants told him Watson could help him get work on the county's $1.7 billion water and sewer upgrade project if he paid Watson $50,000 or $60,000. Zahn also said the defendants wanted him to buy Atlanta Falcons box seats for Walton.
U.S. District Judge David Norton said there wasn’t enough evidence to support allegations that an illegal deal was struck or that any public official in DeKalb received anything improperly.
Watson has said the judge’s ruling clears his name, and he said he didn’t have anything to do with the case.
An FBI agent testified in court that Georgia-based agents are investigating corruption in DeKalb County. He didn’t say whether Watson was a target.
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.
