DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A former Dekalb County tax supervisor was indicted on wire fraud charges while waiting to serve time for other crimes relating to bribery and blackmail.
Gerald D. Harris was indicted after a federal grand jury charged him with three counts of wire fraud. The charges were brought against Harris after he agreed to help register a stolen vehicle, according to the US Department of Justice.
Harris, who was the former supervisor at the Dekalb County tax office, was indicted while waiting to serve time for accepting more than $35,000 in bribe payments.
In 2020, Harris was sentenced to two years in prison for charges relating to bribery. Harris accepted bribes to register vehicles that were stolen, didn’t pass emissions checks or were driven by those who did not have Georgia identification. Harris was also found trying to blackmail a customer who bribed him.
Harris was subsequently fired from his position and given a six-month period until he was ordered to report to prison, according to the US Department of Justice.
While waiting to report to serve his time, Harris told one person he was still in charge of the office and even had a key to the building. Harris met up with the person after they asked for help registering a stolen vehicle, according to investigators.
Harris assured the person that he knew someone who could register the vehicle. Harris told the person a woman who worked at the tag office would accept a $1,000 bribe in exchange for registering the stolen vehicle.
The person agreed, handing the money over to Harris. Harris pocketed the cash and cut off communication with the person.
Harris' indictment is only a formal accusation, meaning he has not been found guilty of the three counts of wire fraud. Dekalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston released a statement following the jury's decision.
“Unfortunately, Harris did not learn from his previous bad conduct. Instead of using the court's grace to better his situation, he brazenly used that time to steal money. Hopefully, this indictment will send a clear message that this conduct will not be tolerated."
-- Dekalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and Georgia Department of Revenue will continue to investigate the case.
