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Judge tells caregiver 10-year sentence possible

By Bill Rankin
Sept 16, 2011

A judge on Friday told a woman she could get at least 10 years in prison if she is convicted of charges that she exploited two men by making them live in squalor in her DeKalb County home.

Chaundra Renee Faust, 43, is charged with taking in two men -- one physically disabled, the other mentally disabled -- as tenants but then holding them captive for months in a windowless basement room and making them use paint buckets for toilets. Faust is to go to trial Monday or plead guilty; if convicted of all charges she faces up to 46 years 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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