Ex-Atlanta Watershed Commissioner Found Guilty in Bribery Scheme

Abstract

A former Atlanta official was convicted of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery after prosecutors said she accepted cash and luxurious gifts from a city contractor. A federal jury in Atlanta found Jo Ann Macrina guilty of the charges on Oct. 14. During her time leading the department, prosecutors say Macrina accepted valuable items from Lohrasb "Jeff" Jafari, then the executive vice president of Atlanta-based design, engineering and construction management firm PRAD Group Inc. The two also discussed Macrina's potential employment with the company. Macrina accepted $10,000 in cash, jewelry, a luxury hotel room in Dubai and landscaping work at her home from Jafari, prosecutors say. Paul Kish, an attorney for Macrina, said in a statement that she was actually a whistleblower who cooperated with the FBI to expose public corruption. Then the government turned against Macrina after two-and-a-half years, accusing her of the same. Jafari is also facing charges of bribery, tax evasion and other crimes related to his dealings with Macrina and other former city officials.