Not the first time Balfour has made financial ‘mistakes’

Regarding Tuesday’s AJC front-page article “A mystery, still: Exactly where is that $630,000 in campaign cash?” about ex-Georgia state Sen. Don Balfour’s missing campaign moneys:

I’m not buying it.

While in office, Balfour was accused of illegally claiming mileage and expense reimbursement from the state. With 18 felony counts against him, he was indicted on charges of making a false certificate, theft by taking and a count of false statement and writing.

He was accused of illegally claiming legislative expenses and mileage pay and double-billing the state and his private employer for expenses. Balfour’s lawyers didn’t deny that he submitted some inaccurate reports, but they said he didn’t deliberately try to take money from the state and said he made inadvertent mistakes. GBI agents found Balfour was reimbursed for expenses he didn’t incur and that there were too many requests to be isolated mistakes.

These “mistakes,” as I remember, were attributed to a sudden and after-the-fact diagnosis of attention-deficit disorder and “not being good with figures.” This from a man who was a former certified public accountant.

Hmm. “Mystery” solved.

J.M. SAULSON, SNELLVILLE

Disbar judges who don’t hold criminals accountable

The criminal who shot three people at the Peachtree Center food court last week had 11 previous arrests. The criminal who hijacked a bus downtown and killed a passenger on the same day had 19 previous arrests. Both were only in their 30s.

I hope the families of the victims find the judges that let these criminals back out on the street and have them disbarred and arrested. I would if any of the victims were my family or friends.

How sad it is that we continue to let these criminals be arrested over and over and over. When is enough enough?

TERRY H. KINGERY, MARIETTA

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