by Dave Williams | May 16, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – An eight-count federal court indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Georgia charges 30 alleged members of the Sex Money Murder (SMM) gang and associates with crimes including racketeering and murder.
The suspects were arrested in four Georgia cities – Savannah, Hinesville, Augusta and Atlanta – according to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday.
According to court records and testimony, the defendants trafficked large amounts of deadly drugs – including methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin – throughout the Savannah area. They also are accused of taking part in sophisticated fraud schemes to obtain federal COVID-19 relief and unemployment benefits, causing a loss of more than $850,000.
The indictment also charges Byron Hopkins in the shooting death of a 19-year-old gang member who wanted to leave the gang.
“Today’s indictment is an important step in ending gang violence on our streets and in our prisons,” said Tara Lyons, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “My office will continuously work with our law enforcement partners to ensure public safety.”
According to court documents, Hopkins and other SMM members intercepted a 19-year-old man in February 2020 and took him to a rural residential neighborhood, where Hopkins shot him to death. The victim had reportedly expressed a desire to leave the gang after accusing Hopkins of having sex with a minor girl who became pregnant.
If convicted, the defendants face up to life in prison for the murder, up to life in prison for the racketeering conspiracy, and up to 30 years behind bars for wire fraud.
The case is being investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the state Department of Corrections, and nine local law enforcement agencies.
The SMM gang is a subset of The Bloods, a gang that originated in Los Angeles in the early 1970s. From there, the gang spread to areas along the East Coast, including Georgia, where it operates inside and outside of prisons and jails.
by Dave Williams | May 15, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved a $70 million plan Thursday to renovate Bobby Dodd Stadium on the Midtown Atlanta campus of Georgia Tech.
The project, to be funded by the Georgia Tech Athletic Association, will create a new premium level of seating on the stadium’s west sideline, replacing the existing president’s lounge and entry lobby with a 7,700-square-foot Founder’s Club featuring 124 seats.
The west sideline renovations also will include eight new Founder’s Suites and eight new elevated suites, plus renovations to 16 existing suites, press operations, and food service.
Fifteen suites on the east sideline will be renovated, as will the Field Club lounge measuring 20,000 square feet. The plan also calls for creating a new Speakeasy Club.
Ten existing suites in the north endzone also are slated for upgrades. Work in the south endzone will involve renovations to three suites, a relocated press area, and booths for security, radio, statistics, and flexible use.
Upgrades to general seating will include new chairback seating throughout the bowl except in the student areas. New video boards will be added at the south end and northwest corner of the stadium.
The project will cost an estimated $39.7 million to build, while $18 million will go toward equipment. The work will be done between the end of the 2026 football season and the start of the 2027 season.
by Dave Williams | May 15, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch will seek the Republican nomination to run for lieutenant governor next year.
Gooch, R-Dahlonega, announced his candidacy Wednesday in a press release, describing himself as “unapologetically pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, and pro-school choice.”
“Georgia deserves bold leadership that will stand up to the insanity of the Democrat Party, protect our families from the invasion of criminal illegal aliens and keep our economy vibrant and strong,” Gooch said. “I see a Georgia that is the gold standard for our great country — a state that leads the way in securing our borders, stopping violent crime, abolishing the state income tax, and defending the values that make America great.”
The 2026 lieutenant governor’s race is expected to draw a crowded field of candidates looking to succeed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to vacate the post to run for governor.
Gooch was elected to the state Senate in 2010 after serving as a member of the State Transportation Board and in Lumpkin County government. His Republican colleagues elected him majority leader in 2022 after he previously served as majority whip and chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
Gooch holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from North Georgia College and State University (now known as the University of North Georgia) as well as a master’s degree in public administration. He owns an environmental services company in Dahlonega.
by Dave Williams | May 15, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.6% last month for the 11th consecutive month, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday.
The jobless rate in the Peach State remained six-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate.
“This sustained economic success supporting a globally competitive labor force of over 5 million is a testament to the collaboration between our state government, business leaders, and communities,” Georgia Commissioner of Labor Barbara Rivera Holmes said. “Great economies are built on great partnerships, and Georgia continues to prove that a jobs-first approach benefits everyone.”
The number of jobs in Georgia rose by 3,700 in April to 4.98 million. The job sectors posting the most gains during the month were accommodation and food services, with an increase of 3,500 jobs, and transportation and warehousing, which gained 3,100.
The largest declines occurred in the information sector, which lost 4,000 jobs in April. Professional, scientific and technical services declined by 2,700 jobs.
Several key jobs indicators lost ground in April. The state’s labor force fell by 3,992 to 5.38 million. The number of employed Georgians decreased by 3,628 to nearly 5.19 million.
Initial unemployment claims rose by 2,610 last month to 21,906.
by Dave Williams | May 15, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp has beaten the deadline for signing legislation the General Assembly passed this year with a flurry of bill signing.
Kemp signed 120 bills on Wednesday, including Senate Bill 244, combining provisions from two measures related to the criminal justice system that had failed to gain passage earlier in the session.
The original bill will allow criminal defendants to recover legal costs when their prosecutor is disqualified and the case against them is dismissed.
Majority Republicans crafted the legislation with President Donald Trump in mind. It could pave the way for Trump to recoup his legal costs in the election case brought against him by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis because of a romantic involvement with a special prosecutor she had hired to help her with that case, a ruling she is currently appealing.
The bill was introduced by then-state Sen. Brandon Beach, R-Alpharetta, a staunch Trump supporter who left the General Assembly this month after the president appointed him U.S. treasurer.
While that portion of Senate Bill 244 drew opposition from legislative Democrats, Republican legislative leaders added a second bill to the mix more appealing to Democrats. The second portion of the measure overhauls the system of compensating the wrongly convicted in Georgia.
Originally contained in House Bill 533, it will give innocent people who have been convicted and sent to prison money for the time they spent behind bars. It replaces the current system requiring lawmakers to consider separate compensation resolutions for each wrongly convicted inmate with a hearing before an administrative law judge, who will make a recommendation on compensation to the chief justice of the state Supreme Court.
“This is a landmark moment for justice in Georgia,” said Kristin Verrill, executive director at the Georgia Innocence Project. “Our state has taken a meaningful step toward acknowledging the harm done to innocent people and helping them rebuild their lives.”
Kemp also signed legislation Wednesday that requires police agencies to accept a digital version of Georgia drivers’ licenses.
On Tuesday, the next-to-last day for bill signing, the governor inked a measure expanding the state’s child care tax credit.
“This legislation being signed into law ensures that Georgia’s families have access to affordable and quality childcare, while encouraging more businesses to offer child care,” said Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who made the issue a priority of his for this year’s General Assembly session.
