Former MARTA executive accused of pocketing half million dollars

ATLANTA - Federal authorities accuse a former MARTA executive of pocketing $500,000 to buy a high-end car and other luxury items.

The U.S. Attorney accuses Joseph Erves of submitting false invoices while he was the senior director of operations. Investigators said the half million dollars was marked as being to pay for maintenance work that never happened. Instead, authorities said Erves put most of the money into his personal account and bought a Porche and other items.

Erves resigned back in April after being placed on administrative leave and MARTA officially announced an internal investigation into the matter.