The Telegraph Reports A Plea and An Arrest in Bibb County

The Telegraph (Macon) is reporting that a former Superintendent of Macon-Bibb County Schools, Romain Dallemand, pleaded guilty Wednesday for filing a false tax return in 2012. Dallemand was charged for not reporting a $100,000 payment made to him by Cliffard Whitby, the Chairman of the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority. The payment was made in an attempt to influence Dallemand to perform certain actions.

Whitby was arrested this morning after a federal grand jury indicted him on several counts related to the illegal payment to Dallemand. The charges included “conspiracy to pay a bribe to an agent of an organization receiving federal funds, conspiracy to launder the proceeds of unlawful activity, and five counts of paying a bribe to an agent of an organization receiving federal funds.”

Dallemand is expected to receive some reprieve on his sentence for assisting investigators, though he could face up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He has already agreed “to pay all taxes, interest and penalties owed from his tax returns in 2012 through 2015.”

For full details of the situation, please read The Telegraph’s article.