STONECREST, Ga. — Editor's note: The video above is from a previous report.
Former Stonecrest mayor Jason Lary has some extra time before his prison sentence starts, according to court documents.
Lary's surrender date has been pushed back into the new year. Initially, the former mayor was set to surrender himself to federal prison on Dec. 15 after he plead guilty to fraud charges.
Lary pled guilty shortly after he announced his resignation as Stonecrest's mayor, which was in January of 2022.
He is now scheduled to start serving his 57-month sentence next month. A federal order filed earlier in December said Lary is now required to report to the Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala. on Jan. 10.
The reason behind the extension is not explained in the order, only that it stems from a motion filed with the court.
A federal judge also ordered an almost $500,000 forfeiture of the former mayor's bank accounts dating back to when he first utilized city funds for personal use, court records show. The forfeiture was filed on Dec. 14.
Lary was arraigned on charges after he used $108,000 of COVID relief funds to pay off a mortgage for a property he owned, court records show. The funds were were supposed to be allocated to the Stonecrest Cares Program and Small Business Program.
Lary's former bookkeeper, Lania Boone, was also involved in the scheme. Boone was arraigned after prosecutors said Lary directed approximately $7,600 to help pay for her son's college tuition and rent.
Stonecrest was incorporated in 2017. Jazzmin Cobb was sworn in as its second mayor in June.
