State Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta, resigned his seat in the Legislature on Thursday before pleading guilty to one count of tax fraud and no contest to five counts of wire and mail fraud.

A sentencing hearing has not been set yet.

Brooks faced 30 federal charges of wire, tax and mail fraud related to his work with a pair of charities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that Brooks used contributions meant for those charities for his personal expenses. A trial for Brooks had been set for June.

The veteran lawmaker and civil rights leader pleaded not guilty in 2013 after he was indicted.

In a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal dated Thursday, Brooks said he was resigning his seat after 35 years in the General Assembly to transition back to full-time “civil human rights work.” He ended his letter, “Peace and justice, we shall overcome.”

About the Author

Keep Reading

Voters arrive the Gwinnett County Voter Registrations and Elections office to cast their ballot during early in-person voting, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Lawrenceville. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Featured

Cooling towers for Units 4 and 3 are seen at Plant Vogtle, operated by Georgia Power Co., in east Georgia's Burke County near Waynesboro, on Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC