Connect with us

Augusta, GA

Ex-Augusta city commissioner sentenced to prison for destroying records in investigation

Published

on

Ex-Augusta city commissioner sentenced to prison for destroying records in investigation


AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — A former Augusta city commissioner was sentenced Tuesday to three years in federal prison after he was convicted of destroying records and lying about it to investigators.

Sammie Lee Sias, 68, had his punishment handed down by a U.S. District Court judge nearly a year after a jury him guilty last July.

Sias was serving on the Augusta commission in 2019 when the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI began investigating allegations that included Sias was misspending public money and was involved in other misconduct.

Sias deleted about 7,000 files relevant to that investigation from a laptop, according to prosecutors, and later told an FBI agent that he had turned out all records requested by authorities. Investigators later found evidence of the records Sias had deleted on the computer.

Advertisement

“This sentence not only will serve to deter Mr. Sias from committing any similar conduct in the future, but it will also serve to deter others in similar positions from betraying the community’s trust,” U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg, the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Georgia, said in a statement.

Sias’ fellow commissioners voted to request the investigation in 2019 after a former employee who had a long-term affair with Sias accused him of misconduct, the Augusta Chronicle reported.

Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Sias to pay a $5,000 fine and to serve three years on supervised release after he is released from prison.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Augusta, GA

The Major Rager Sets 2025 Lineup: Greensky Bluegrass, Eggy, Easy Honey

Published

on

The Major Rager Sets 2025 Lineup: Greensky Bluegrass, Eggy, Easy Honey


The Major Rager has announced the artist lineup for its 11th annual event, set to take place in Augusta, GA on April 12th, 2025 during The Masters. The long-running event takes its name from the professional golf tournament with which it coincides—one of four tournaments known collectively as “the majors.”

Jamgrass favorites Greensky Bluegrass will headline the 2025 edition of The Major Rager. The single-day event, produced by Friends With Benefits Productions, will also feature performances by ever-rising jam quartet Eggy and Charleston, SC-native rock outfit Easy Honey. Tickets for The Major Rager 2025 are now on sale here.

On Tour With Eggy: Waiting Game [Feature]

Greensky Bluegrass’ Major Rager headlining slow will follow an extensive run of early-2025 headlining tour dates across the country. Find a full list of upcoming Greensky Bluegrass tour dates here. Eggy, still riding the momentum of the band’s long-awaited sophomore album, 2024’s Waiting Game, will arrive in Augusta on April 12th fresh off a run of spring festival appearances at Live Oak, FL’s Suwannee Amp Jam #1, Phoenix, AZ’s M3F, Miramar Beach, FL’s My Morning Jacket-hosted One Big Holiday, and Atlanta, GA’s Mental Awakening Festival. Find a full list of upcoming Eggy tour dates here. For Easy Honey, the Major Rager marks the first announced date on the band’s 2025 tour schedule. Find a full list of upcoming Easy Honey tour dates here.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Augusta, GA

34-year-old and 32-year-old ID’d in related Augusta fatal shootings

Published

on

34-year-old and 32-year-old ID’d in related Augusta fatal shootings


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Coroner has identified two victims after two related shooting incidents in Augusta, we learned on Friday.

The Richmond County Coroner’s Office responded to Wellstar/MCG about a shooting death.

Jeremy Dontavious McGahee, 34, of Augsuta was transported to Wellstar/MCG by EMS from the 2100 block of C Street with at least one gunshot wound, Coroner Mark Bowen said.

He was pronounced dead at 8:28 p.m., Bowen says. An autopsy has been scheduled.

Advertisement

The Coroner’s Office also responded to the 2100 block of C Street about a possible suicide.

Zyquan Jamarcus Franklin, 32, of Augusta, was found inside a residence with at least one gunshot wound and pronounced dead on the scene at 12:15 a.m. Bowen said. An autopsy has been scheduled.

Bowen says these cases are connected and in the early stages of investigation. Once the next of kin has been notified, the victim’s identification will be released.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to C Street around 9:34 p.m. about shots fired with two people down.

Deputies say upon arrival, they located one male and one female subject who had been shot at least one time.

Advertisement

Both victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment, where the male victim succumbed to his injuries.

The sheriff’s office says investigators are still on scene as of 11 p.m.

Also on Thursday, 50-year-old Chavious Kimmerlin was shot dead in his home on Highland Avenue.

Gary Abraham

The shooting comes amid a two-year outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed more than 180 lives across the CSRA.

Cities large and small have been affected on both sides of the Savannah River. But as the largest community in the region, Augusta has been hit especially hard.

Authorities have blamed much of the problem on gangs.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Augusta, GA

1 dead, another injured in shooting on C Street in Augusta

Published

on

34-year-old and 32-year-old ID’d in related Augusta fatal shootings


AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – One person has died and another has been injured after a shooting on the 2100 block of C Street on Thursday night.

The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to C Street around 9:34 p.m. in reference to shots fired with two people down.

Deputies says upon arrival, they located one male and one female subject had been shot at least one time.

Both victims were transported to a local hospital for treatment, where the male victim succumbed to his injuries.

Advertisement

The sheriff’s office says investigators are still on scene as of 11 p.m.

Also on Thursday, 50-year-old Chavious Kimmerlin was shot dead in his home on Highland Avenue.

The shooting comes amid a two-year outbreak of violent crime that’s claimed more than 180 lives across the CSRA.

Cities large and small have been affected on both sides of the Savannah River. But as the largest community in the region, Augusta has been hit especially hard.

Authorities have blamed much of the problem on gangs.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending