The FBI has created a new group to probe corruption among judges and legislators in Georgia, but few details have yet emerged about what cases it might be developing, the Associated Press reported.
Brian Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s office in Georgia, said the team emerged from a review of the bureau’s long-term priorities and the growing number of corruption cases involving government officials in the area.
“It impacts the everyday system,” Lamkin told the AP. “It’s not just a dirty law enforcement officer that might be shaking you down. We’re talking about people that you elect to an office to represent you who try to line their pockets.”
The new team will focus on wrongdoing by politicians and high-level officers, complementing another long-running group of agents who have historically handled corruption cases involving police and law enforcement agents, he said. Lamkin didn’t say how many agents were assigned to the new team, but he added that about 40 percent of office’s white-collar crimes unit has joined it.
Speaking with station WSBTV, Lamkin said that the office is working on a number of police and political corruption cases, as well as some high-profile investigations that will be made public when and if indictments are released.
Lamkin will sign off on all the team’s investigations before they move forward, he said, adding that FBI officials in Washington will also review the more high-profile cases.
“It’s a lot of ground to cover, and so we need more boots on the ground,” Lamkin said.
And the FBI’s new push against corruption in Georgia comes as some of the state’s key investigative agencies face severe budget difficulties.
The Judicial Qualifications Commission, which follows up on complaints alleging judicial misconduct in the state, depleted its funds in December before state lawmakers came to its rescue earlier this year, the AP reported.
And the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, which monitors campaign finance, financial disclosure and lobbying, has seen deep funding cuts while at the same time expanding its duties. The commission went from conducting three investigations in 2008 to none in 2011, William Perry, executive director of watchdog group Common Cause Georgia, told the AP.
