Rooks Boynton, the evangelist who posed as a legislative consultant in Elaine Boyer’s kickback scheme, has been indicted on federal theft charges.

Boynton, 73, is charged with federal program theft and federal program theft conspiracy. The indictment says that over a two-year period, he accepted more than 35 checks from then-DeKalb County Commissioner Boyer, totaling about $85,000, for consulting services he never performed.

Boyer used false invoices to tap taxpayer funds to cut the checks.

Boynton funneled about $60,000 of that sum into an account controlled by Boyer and her husband, John, the indictment says. He kept and spent the rest.

Boyer is serving a 14-month prison sentence. John Boyer, who pleaded guilty to masterminding the scheme, is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 19.

The commissioner’s abuse of taxpayer money was first exposed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which raised questions about her spending on a county-issued Visa card in March 2014.

About the Author

Keep Reading

An aerial image shows part of John A. White Park taken on Wednesday, July 4, 2025, where the City of Atlanta plans to build new trails as part of the citywide Trails ATL plan. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

UPS driver Dan Partyka delivers an overnight package. As more people buy more goods online, the rapid and unrelenting expansion of e-commerce is causing real challenges for the Sandy-Springs based company. (Bob Andres/AJC 2022)

Credit: TNS