Ex Atlanta Employee Claims City Improperly Diverted Grant Funds For Cars, Chauffeur

Kayla Goggin of Courthouse News brings word that the investigations swirling around Atlanta City Hall are growing. On top of the still unresolved bribery scandal, we now have a former employee of the City –
the business manager of the Atlanta Police Department – claiming she was fired after discovering the City was using federal grant money to supply the Mayor with cars and his personal driver.

In a complaint filed in Fulton County Superior Court, Tracy Woodard says she discovered the alleged illegal activity while investigating other purported improper fund allocations within the department.

Woodard claims that federal money earmarked for purchasing police patrol vehicles was being used to buy personal cars for the mayor and members of his family instead.

Woodard also alleges that Atlanta Police Department officers were driving and escorting Mayor Reed and his family on personal errands.

The April 5 complaint states that the department engaged in other illegal activity as well. According to the complaint, the department ran an “incentive” program to reward officers working overtime during the holidays with money from federal drug seizure programs. The money was never approved to be used for holiday overtime compensation, Woodard says.

Click the link and get all the details. This of course isn’t the first problem recently with the Mayor’s motor pool. It’s a big jump from improper use of blue lights to misappropriation of federal funds, if true. Regardless, we can all expect a statement within 24 hours explaining that, as is custom, this is all Bill Torpy’s fault.