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Former Atlanta Watershed Management commissioner sentenced to prison in federal bribery case

Jo Ann Macrina, who headed Atlanta's water agency from 2011 to 2016, has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for accepting bribes from a contractor

ATLANTA — Editor's note: The video in this story is from a previous report. 

A former commissioner of Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management has been sentenced in a federal bribery case, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Georgia.

Jo Ann Macrina, 66, headed Atlanta's water agency from 2011 to 2016. She has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for accepting bribes from an Atlanta contractor. This was in exchange for "steering city business worth millions of dollars to the contractor's company," the release stated.

According to a previous 11Alive report, Macrina awarded the contracts to an architectural and design firm in Atlanta, PRAD Group. In order for the firm to receive the contracts, she replaced two evaluators with herself and one of her employees to score them higher.

During Macrina's tenure as commissioner, she accepted $10,000 in cash, a diamond ring, a room at a luxury hotel in Dubai and landscaping work at her home from the firm's executive vice president, according to the release

"Shortly after Macrina’s employment with the City of Atlanta ended, she began working for the firm. Between June 2016 and September 2016, the firm and its executive vice president paid Macrina $30,000 in four separate payments," the release stated.

Following Macrina's sentence, she will have three years of supervised release and have to pay $40,000 in restitution. She was convicted of conspiracy and federal program bribery on October 14, 2022

"Jo Ann Macrina was entrusted to safeguard the water supply for millions of Atlanta residents but instead resorted to corruption by steering work to a city contractor in exchange for cash, luxury items, and a lucrative job offer,”  U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said. “We are committed to working closely with our partners to rid local government of those who allow personal greed to lead to the abuse of positions of trust.”

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