News
News

Victims come forward with shocking stories following AJC/Channel 2 investigation into tax preparer with a history of fraud

Hapeville City Councilwoman Ruth Barr is scheduled to go on trial later in May for stealing more than $100,000 from a relative. BEN GRAY / BGRAY@AJC.COM
Hapeville City Councilwoman Ruth Barr is scheduled to go on trial later in May for stealing more than $100,000 from a relative. BEN GRAY / BGRAY@AJC.COM
By
May 25, 2016

The fallout continues to grow following our investigation into a metro Atlanta tax preparer with a history of fraud.

“The person she turned out to be was just pure evil,” a victim said.

Dozens of firefighters, paramedics and police now say Ruth Barr, an elected official in Hapeville, targeted them as clients.

Why thousands of victims could have to pay back millions of dollars in bogus refunds. Read the story on myAJC.com and in this Sunday’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

About the Author

Brad Schrade is an investigations editor at The AJC.

Follow Brad Schrade on facebookFollow Brad Schrade on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Cox Enterprises CEO Alex Taylor and AJC Publisher Andrew Morse were joined by AJC editors and Atlanta business react during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Midtown on Friday, January 24, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

‘The only thing that changes is how we deliver it’

As the AJC nears the end of its print chapter, some of the reporters, editors and photographers who make the AJC reflect on their “big break" moments.

Georgia authority says ransomware attack thwarted, real estate portal online

The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority, which operates a database for the state’s real estate index, said it detected the intrusion Nov. 21.

Breakdown: Three days in May

Season 11 of the AJC’s Breakdown true crime podcast starts soon. It begins with a Georgia couple, a newborn—and a discovery that triggers a living nightmare.

The Latest

ajc.com

Credit: Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero/AJC

A.M. ATL: Kiss and make up

A.M. ATL: TikTok law

Georgia authority says ransomware attack thwarted, real estate portal online

Featured

Atlanta firefighters, crash on Piedmont Avenue at Monroe Drive

Credit: Ben Hendren

Report: Traffic fatalities outpace homicides in metro Atlanta

Analysis draws comparison between the two, pointing out that roadway deaths should be more preventable than violence, with proven safety upgrades that can prevent them.

Publix to close two Atlanta area stores, including longtime Midtown location

Publix will shutter two of its metro Atlanta stores on Dec. 27.

Nation’s No. 1 QB prospect ‘disappointed’ in Tuesday’s leak of flip to Vandy

Jared Curtis, who will play for a state championship in Tennessee this week, delivered a sense of finality to his college recruiting process late Tuesday: He is a Commodore.