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Court upholds ex-lieutenant’s conviction

By Bill Rankin
July 26, 2013

The federal appeals court in Atlanta has upheld the bribery and conspiracy convictions against a former lieutenant on the DeKalb County police force.

A three-judge panel also unanimously upheld the six-year sentence given to Willie Daren Durrett. A year ago, Durrett was convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court of accepting bribes from Atlanta businessman Amin Budhwani and conspiring with Donald Frank, DeKalb’s former deputy police chief, to take the bribes. Frank pleaded guilty to his crimes and was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison.

About the Author

Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.

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