A former DeKalb County deputy police chief pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to take bribes from a businessman who hired him to intimidate a former girlfriend and to threaten associates and employees.
Prosecutors said Donald Frank was, in effect, the “personal enforcer” for Atlanta businessman Amin Budhwani. The conspiracy allegedly involved DeKalb Police Lt. Willie Daren Durrett, whose federal charges are pending, accordig to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
“This defendant sold his badge and acted as a private citizen’s personal enforcer in exchange for cash,” U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said.
According to the FBI investigation, Budhwani asked Durrett in September 2008 for help ending a relationship with a girlfriend, and Durrett allegedly brought in Frank, who was once the head of security for former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones.
Frank, 47, admitted Friday to making a series of threatening phone calls to the woman so she would end her relationship with Budhwani.
For a year after that, Frank continued to take money for doing favors for Budhwani in his official capacity as a deputy police chief.
Budhwani said he paid Frank $10,000 to intimidate a business partner so he would leave the country. Frank, as a supervisor, in turn would ask DeKalb officers on patrol to stop the partner. Frank also would follow the partner and make phone calls suggesting the business partner was being investigated.
Frank also admitted taking money to use his badge and uniform to question two Budhwani employees suspected of taking money Budhwani’s business.
Also to garner favor with the deputy police chief, Budhwani would pay for Frank to go to casinos, restaurants, clubs and sporting events. Budhwani would go along.
Budhwani pleaded guilty to bribing Frank last June. His sentencing is pending.
No date has been set for Frank’s sentencing either but he could get as much as five years in prison and a $25,000 fine for the one count of conspiracy to take bribes.
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