ATLANTA – A former member of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents was indicted Tuesday for racketeering in connection with a scheme to defraud investors.
Dean Alford is charged with one count of racketeering, one count of criminal attempt, one count of computer forgery and five counts of forgery in the second degree.
Alford is accused of selling fake accounts receivable invoices to investors valued at $2.2 million, along with contracts and other documents to show his now-bankrupt energy development company was owed money by state agencies.
He also allegedly forged the signatures of state employees on those contracts and other documents while serving on the Board of Regents representing Georgia’s 4th Congressional District.
In a common business practice known as “factoring,” businesses may sell their accounts receivable to a third party at a discount. In this case, Alford’s alleged scheme was to obtain $1.7 million.
“Acts of fraud and corruption have no place in Georgia’s state government,” said John Fowler, deputy attorney general for the state Department of Law’s Prosecution Division.
“Those who are trusted to be public servants must discharge their duties ethically and honestly, and when they do not, this office and our law enforcement partners will hold them accountable.”
If convicted, Alford faces five to 20 years in prison for racketeering, one to 10 years for criminal attempt, one to 15 years for computer forgery and one to five years for forgery in the second degree. He also could be fined up to $225,000.
The joint investigation included the Office of the Attorney General’s Public Integrity and White Collar Crimes Section, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the University System of Georgia and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The indictment was returned in Rockdale County Superior Court.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Alford in the case last year.
Alford resigned from the Board of Regents in October 2019. About two weeks later, 39 investors filed a civil suit accusing him of running a Ponzi scheme.
ATLANTA – A coastal Georgia nonprofit is challenging a plan by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to do away with seasonal limitations on dredging activities that have long protected sea turtles and other marine life.
In a federal lawsuit filed Monday, the group One Hundred Miles is seeking a preliminary injunction to block the Corps from conducting year-round operation and maintenance dredging in Brunswick Harbor starting as early as mid-May.
The Corps historically has limited dredging to mid-December through the end of March, a period when adult loggerheads and other sensitive species are far less abundant in Georgia’s coastal waters. Loggerhead nesting season in Georgia traditionally begins May 1 and runs through October.
“Our state has long rallied around our loggerhead sea turtles and invested in their protection,” said Catherine Ridley, coordinator and vice president of education and communications at One Hundred Miles. “Georgians aren’t about to let the Corps throw away nearly six decades of conservation progress based on their illogical arguments and complete disregard for scientific data.”
The state-run Jekyll Island Authority has weighed in on the side of One Hundred Miles, recently sending a letter to the Corps expressing concern over year-round dredging.
The Corps has said the plan is part of a more holistic effort to protect a larger number of endangered species in coastal waters, including the North Atlantic right whale that comes to the area for its calving season each year.
“The goal is to try to figure out how to do everything better for all the species,” Nicole Bonine, an environmental compliance sustainability and energy program manager for the corps’ South Atlantic Division, said in March.
“We’re really hoping that if we can get all of these techniques in place and continue to build on information gathered year over year, we can ultimately reduce the number of turtle [deaths or injuries] every year.”
But Megan Huynh, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center, which is representing One Hundred Miles, said the Corps hasn’t adequately reviewed the plan or offered enough opportunities for public comment.
“State and federal agencies have relied on seasonal dredging windows for decades for the simple fact that these windows have proven to be effective in reducing risks to sea turtles and other coastal wildlife,” she said.
A recent two-week comment period offered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources generated more than 1,500 letters in opposition to year-round dredging.
The Georgia coast is home to the oldest loggerhead sea turtle nesting project in the world, started in 1964 on Little Cumberland Island.
ATLANTA – Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare has signed an agreement to buy four Georgia hospitals from HCA Healthcare Inc. for about $950 million, the two companies announced Monday.
Pending regulatory approval, Piedmont will acquire Eastside Medical Center in Snellville; Coliseum Medical Centers and Coliseum Northside, both in Macon; and Cartersville Medical Center in Cartersville.
The companies are targeting July 31 for a closing date.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Piedmont,” said Kevin Brown, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare. “HCA Healthcare has instilled a high standard of care into these facilities, and we are proud that they have trusted Piedmont to continue this legacy.”
The four HCA Healthcare hospitals were not able to fully benefit from a broader HCA presence in their communities, Nashville-based HCA stated in a news release.
“Given Piedmont Healthcare’s history of serving the region’s health care needs, the affiliation will better position the hospitals to continue providing excellent care to their patients,” the release stated. “At the same time, the transaction provides strategic value to HCA Healthcare by increasing financial flexibility in investments in ongoing and future initiatives in core markets.”
Eastside Medical Center is a 310-bed two-campus system of care. The North Campus has 229 beds supporting acute care services, including a 46-bed emergency department.
The South Campus offers a 61-bed inpatient psychiatric center, 20-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility, and an 11-bed emergency department.
Coliseum Health System includes two acute care hospitals: Coliseum Medical Centers with 310 beds and Coliseum Northside with 103 beds. In addition, Coliseum operates an ambulatory surgery center in Macon with three operating rooms.
Cartersville Medical Center is a 119-bed acute care hospital that includes a 43-bed emergency department with a level III trauma center.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development launched a multi-pronged campaign Monday to help the state’s tourism industry recover from losses suffered during the coronavirus pandemic.
During a virtual event at the Georgia Aquarium, the agency’s tourism division kicked off the new marketing campaign “Ready. Set. Georgia.”
Tourism officials also unveiled the 2021 edition of Georgia’s travel guide and announced a new $1 million grant program funded through Gov. Brian Kemp’s fiscal 2021 mid-year budget.
“As more people are vaccinated and eager to travel, tourism is a top priority for Georgia’s economy,” the governor said Monday. “I am committed to ensuring both its recovery and continued success.”
The impacts of COVID-19 sent travel spending in Georgia plummeting nearly $12 billion last year compared to 2019, a loss accompanied by a 26.5% decline in hotel rooms sold and a 41.3% drop-off in revenue per available room.
However, since the governor never fully shut down Georgia’s economy even at the height of the pandemic, the impact on the state’s tourism industry was less than in many other states. National visitation data tracked by Arrivalist show that total trips to or within Georgia rose 75% in March compared to March 2020.
“Despite the challenges tourism has faced, our team at Explore Georgia found creative ways to promote safe travel in Georgia,” state Commissioner of Economic Development Pat Wilson said. “All across the state, we are seeing evidence that tourism – despite the pandemic – has remained strong.”
To help the recovery process along, the Ready. Set. Georgia campaign will highlight a mix of city, coastal and small-town destinations across the state, using a variety of digital and print platforms.
The free travel guide will be available online at ExploreGeorgia.org, by calling 1-800-VISIT GA, or at any of the state’s nine visitor information centers.
The tourism recovery effort was announced in conjunction with National Travel and Tourism Week, which continues through May 8.
ATLANTA – The Georgia Supreme Court Monday rejected a bid to place the name of an independent candidate for the state House of Representatives on last November’s general election ballot.
Under state law, Andrew Bell was required to obtain the signatures of at least 1,255 registered voters to land a spot on the ballot against incumbent Rep. Karla Drenner, D-Avondale Estates, in House District 85.
Bell submitted 2,200 signatures to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office last August, one day before the legal deadline.
However, Raffensperger ruled that only 827 of the signatures were legally valid. The rest were from outside the district, duplicates, printed names rather than signatures, came from people not registered to vote or were illegible, Raffensperger determined.
Bell sought an injunction from Fulton County Superior Court to prohibit any ballots from being printed without his name. Following a hearing in mid-September, the judge ruled against Bell, declaring that he failed to demonstrate the rejected signatures were rejected in error.
Bell filed an emergency appeal with the Georgia Supreme Court, which the court granted in mid-October. However, by that time, the ballot had already been printed and early voting had begun.
In Monday’s unanimous decision, the court declared Bell’s appeal moot because the election has been held and Drenner – who was unopposed – has been certified as the winner.
“An appeal is moot when this court can no longer provide the specific relief requested,” Justice Michael P. Boggs wrote for the court. “Bell seeks to stop the printing of ballots that have already been printed, cast and counted, and he seeks to compel the secretary to place his name on a ballot that no longer exists for an election that has already occurred.”
