It has been reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into whether DeKalb County CEO Lee May had been given preferential treatment, including having tax dollars pay, for repairs to his home which sustained thousands of dollars in damages due to a backed-up sewer line.
May responded with this statement for media and public consumption, detailing that he denies wrongdoing and, when presented to him the fact that the county paid thousands of dollars for the repairs on from a check that he says he did not write, nor endorse or cash, he reported the incident to local, state and federal police agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice.
Take a look at what May had to say in response to the published reports:
“When I assumed the position as Interim CEO for DeKalb County in July 2013, my number one priority was to restore the peoples’ trust in their government. My commitment to reform our government and root out any corruption or malfeasance is firm and unwavering.
That is why I retained former Attorney General Mike Bowers and Richard Hyde to provide top to bottom systematic review of DeKalb County Government; recommend specific ways to make DeKalb County Government more transparent, efficient and ethical; and expose any corruption of malfeasance in the course of the investigation and findings.
Mr. Bowers, Mr. Hyde and I have all agreed that if we or anyone came upon any corruption or abuse, that information should be brought forth immediately. As a result, journalists with WSB TV and the Atlanta Journal Constitution brought forward information that I, and possibly others, may be the victims of wrong-doing. The issue involves a sewage flood in my home on Kilkenny Circle in December 2010 when I was a member of the Board of Commissioners. A contractor came to my property to remove the sewage and repair the damage.
It has come to my attention that I received expedited treatment by county staff regarding the payment to the contractor for fixing the damage. This information was news to me. I neither had any knowledge, directly or indirectly, of special treatment, nor did I request any. The county did issue a check of $6,400 directly to the vendor in June 2011. During that same month, the reporters revealed that the check of $4,000 was written by the contractor to my name and cashed into a bank in North Georgia.
Let me be very clear: I did not receive this check. I did not cash this check. I did not receive any funds from this check. The endorsement signature on the back of this check is not mine. Thus, it appears that a fraud has been committed using my name and my position.
As I stated earlier, if any wrong-doing is uncovered, it should be revealed immediately. That is why I reported this illegal activity to the proper legal authorities to investigate this matter thoroughly. This includes the FBI, GBI, DA’s office, in addition to Mr. Bowers and Mr. Hyde.
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