ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched a criminal probe into a district attorney accused of using at least $140,000 in city of Atlanta money paid to a nonprofit to supplement his own salary.
The investigation of Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard came at the request of the Attorney General’s office, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles told news outlets earlier this week.
The Georgia Ethics Commission filed a complaint against Howard last month, accusing him of violating public disclosure laws.
An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV found discrepancies between Howard’s personal financial disclosures and tax filings submitted to the IRS by a nonprofit Howard runs, People Partnering for Progress.
Howard said in a statement Monday to the AJC and WSB that he believes he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. He said this isn’t the first time the Fulton County district attorney has been the subject of a GBI investigation, in an apparent reference to a 2014 probe in which he was cleared in his use of civil forfeiture money.
“(I)f the facts are followed, it is my expectation that the result will be exactly the same,” Howard stated.
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