The ex-chief operating officer of Georgia's DeKalb county schools, her husband and the former superintendent have received their sentences for racketeering and theft by taking charges.
Decatur officials announced on Monday that former COO Patricia Reid, her husband Tony Pope and past superintendent Crawford Lewis were found guilty of moving at least $1.4 million in contracts into Pope's business as an architect during the time that Lewis served as superintendent.
According to District Attorney spokesperson Erik Burton who spoke with the Associated Press, Reid received a 15-year sentencing, while Pope was sentenced to eight years in prison. Lewis was charged with misdemeanor obstruction, and will spend one year in jail as punishment.
"This sentence sends a loud message to those who seek to manipulate and steal from the citizens of DeKalb County," District Attorney Robert James wrote in a statement concerning Monday's sentencing. "Reid and Pope both devised a scheme to take $1.4 million in tax dollars to line their pockets through improper and illegal means."
Reid reportedly used her power as the COO to send more than $1 million in construction contracts to Pope's company, giving him a hefty amount of extra work - and money - that the state contended wasn't meant for him.
During the trial earlier last month, Lewis told the jury that Reid admitted she'd intentionally funneled the payment to Pope.
"She told me that she had not done anything illegal or immoral," Lewis told jurors, according to WSBTV. "And even if she did, there were not people smart enough to figure out what she had done."
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