The legacy of former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed continues to be tarnished with news that his top city hall aide who controlled Atlanta’s finances was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday. He allegedly cheated on his taxes and used public money to cover tens of thousands of dollars in personal expenses — including buying two machine guns that are illegal to own.
Former Chief Financial Officer Jim Beard is specifically charged with eight counts that include wire fraud, theft from the government, possession of machine guns, making a false statement and obstructing federal tax laws. It covers a period between August 2013 and March 2018.
Beard worked during Reed’s administration and for a short time under Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. He is the seventh Reed official to be found guilty of crimes. In fact, Reed’s chief procurement officer and deputy chief of staff have already pleaded guilty to accepting bribes during the five-year-old federal city hall corruption investigation.
U.S. Attorney BJay Pak, who announced the charges against Beard, is continuing the widespread federal investigation— much of which focuses on Atlanta’s corrupt contracting system. Insiders speculate more indictments are coming.
