Atlanta Mayor reacts to former mayor's subpoena
ATLANTA - Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says she doesn't know where the federal investigation will end, but she expects more subpoenas at City Hall.
The Mayor made the remarks at the AJC today, one day after news that a federal grand jury had subpoenaed records relating to former Mayor Kasim Reed.
The subpoena rocked city hall, as an ongoing bribery investigation in Atlanta City Hall touched, for the first time, the former Mayor – his brother Tracy – and his deputy chief of staff.
"This has to be tough, personally and professionally," said Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Mayor Bottoms says news of subpoenas targeting city credit card spending of the former Mayor and his deputy chief of staff was difficult to accept. After all, she's known Kasim Reed and Katrina Taylor-Parks since high school.
"These aren't people I read about in the newspaper. These are people I've known for many years. And these are people who I've worked alongside," said Bottoms.
The federal grand jury subpoena is targeting Kasim Reed's city credit card bills, which show thousands of dollars for flights, meals, and out of town limousine rides while he was Mayor.
The grand jury subpoena also requested any reimbursements made by the former Mayor. These checks show, in March of 2018, Kasim Reed reimbursed the city for meals and flights costing thousands of dollars. He made the reimbursements after another news outlet asked to review his credit card statements.
"The unfortunate part for us as a city is we don't know what direction this investigation is going to," Bottoms said.
The grand jury subpoenaed city credit card expenditures of Mayor Reed's brother, Tracy Reed, who once worked for the city, but resigned back in 2011.
"Like you all I'm watching the investigation and watching to see where it leads," said Bottoms.
The grand jury also subpoenaed city credit card records for Mayor Reed's deputy chief of staff, Katrina Taylor-Parks. The FOX 5 I-Team once asked for Taylor Parks’ city credit card - she never had a city credit card.
Mayor Bottoms told a packed house at the Atlanta Press Club that it is too early to make decisions about Taylor-Parks who is still serving as her deputy chief of staff.
"Right now, she's out on leave. When she returns from leave, it will depend on where the investigation is. Then it will be a conversation we will have," Bottoms said.
One interesting wrinkle in the subpoenas. Prosecutors want records relating to Taylor-Parks and her communications with Paul Marshall of FOGFuels and Bridge Securities. Marshall once tried to get a sole source contract with the city.
The FOX 5 I-Team found Marshall recently plead guilty to wire fraud in a scheme, according to the indictment, to defraud investors through his investment company - Bridge Securities.
"It's an investigation, it's an ongoing investigation, I don't anticipate this will be the last subpoena we will receive," Bottoms remarked.
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