Mitzi Bickers, former City of Atlanta employee and well-known Atlanta preacher, has retained a new high-profile lawyer to represent her in the Atlanta Bribery scandal.
Bickers former lawyer withdrew and she has now retained Drew Findling, who once represented Clayton Co. Sheriff Victor Hill and currently represents former Atlanta Police Rolfe Burns who is accused in a 2016 wrongful shooting death case.
RELATED | Who is Mitzi Bickers?
Bickers is accused of accepting around $1 million in bribe money in exchange for steering construction contracts with the City of Atlanta. She’s charged with 2 counts of conspiracy to commit bribery; three counts of money laundering; three counts of wire fraud; one count of witness tampering; and one count of filing false tax returns. She pled not guilty in April and is free on bond.
Prosecutors allege Bickers bought a plethora of luxury items with her bribe money including jet skis, a $700,000+ lake-front home, a $40,000+ Denali luxury SUV, and vacations to Aruba and on Carnival cruise lines.
Bickers was a highly sought-after political consultant who was instrumental in getting former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed elected. After his election, he appointed her human services director for the City of Atlanta.
Since her indictment, Bickers was released on bond and has resumed her life as normal. She’s a well-known Atlanta minister, preaching at Emmanuel Baptist Church. She broadcasts her sermons on Facebook regularly.
After she left the City of Atlanta she was hired as a chaplain for the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department, where she presumably still works. She referenced that job during a recent Facebook Live broadcast. A friend has also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her legal fees. So far, it has received about $300 in donations.
The bribery scandal began almost two years ago after the Justice Department subpoenaed 1.4 million documents from the City of Atlanta. So far, only four people have been sent to jail for the bribery scandal.
PHOTOS | This is what 1.4M documents looks like at City Hall
Two contractors, E.R. Mitchell and Charles Richards, pleaded guilty to paying someone in City Hall in exchange for construction contracts. Adam Smith, former chief purchasing officer for the City of Atlanta, admitted to taking bribes in exchange for contracts. Shandarrick Barnes, former city employee, is also serving time for witness intimidation. He once worked for Bickers.
Federal investigators recently subpoenaed millions more documents in relation to the city hall corruption scandal.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ATLANTA'S BRIBERY SCANDAL
- Atlanta's bribery scandal: What's the big deal?
- Charges dropped against man involved in Atlanta bribery scandal
- City releases 1.4M documents related to bribery scandal
- City's ‘document dump' costs taxpayers thousands
- Richards, Mitchell sentenced in Atlanta Bribery Scandal
- Adam Smith sentenced to 27 months in Atlanta bribery scandal
- Ex-Atlanta procurement officer pleads guilty to bribery charge
- Key name emerges in city bribery investigation
