by Dave Williams | Jun 6, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The 14 defendants convicted in a large-scale federal dogfighting case in Albany have been sentenced to a total of more than 28 years in prison.
Defendants from Georgia, Florida, and Alabama were arrested following a large-scale dogfighting event that took place in Donaldsonville in 2022, according to court records. Police responding to a 911 call rescued 27 dogs, including one found in a blood-soaked fighting pit with severe injuries, who soon died.
Authorities also seized a large quantity of methamphetamine.
Seized cellphones contained evidence of the participants’ extensive involvement in the dogfighting industry. Law enforcement personnel seized and rescued 78 pit bull-type dogs, including 51 recovered during search warrants executed this spring.
“The brutality of dogfighting, combined with armed drug distribution, negatively affects our community,” said C. Shanelle Booker, acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “The collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level during this investigation and prosecution was essential in bringing these defendants to justice and rescuing abused animals.”
The longest prison term in the case went to Donnametric Miller of Donaldson, who was sentenced to 100 months behind bars on Thursday. Nine others received shorter prison terms, two received credit for time served, and two were sentenced to home confinement.
In addition to the prison sentences, the court also ordered the payment of restitution for the costs of caring for the dogs rescued during the investigation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General worked on the case with detectives from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. The Bay County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance.
by Dave Williams | Jun 5, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp will lead a three-day trade mission to Canada next week amid an atmosphere of uncertainty prompted by a series of tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed on the United States’ northern neighbor.
Kemp, joined by Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp and state Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson, will attend the 2025 Southeast U.S.-Canadian Provinces Alliance conference in Saint John, New Brunswick, which will run from June 8-10.
The alliance was established in 2007 to enhance trade and investment, promote cross-border business collaboration between the two countries, and create new trade opportunities through connections between the member Southeastern states and Canadian provinces.
That collaboration is being sorely tested by the tariffs Trump has slapped on Canadian imports into the U.S. and the retaliatory tariffs Canada has imposed.
During his first month in office last winter, the Republican president signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, with a 10% tariff on energy resources, then delayed them until early March due to concessions from Canada.
However, the administration later adjusted the tariffs to minimize disruption to the automotive industry. Then, in the latest step escalating the trade war between the two nations, Trump this week doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada to 50%.
A meeting in the Oval Office last month between Trump and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney became testy when the president talked about his desire for the U.S. to acquire Canada as the 51st state. Carney replied that Canadian voters in the recent election sent a clear message that Canada is not for sale.
On the other hand, Canada was Georgia’s fifth-largest trading partner last year, with $13.9 billion in total trade, including $7.4 billion in exports from the Peach State.
Georgia has hosted two previous SEUS-CP Alliance conferences, the inaugural meeting in 2008 and the 14th annual conference in 2022.
In a goodwill gesture, the Georgia Forestry Commission has offered to make any needed resources available to help fight wildfires raging across Canada’s central and western provinces, which are spreading smoke across the U.S. border into the Midwest, Northeast and Middle Atlantic states.
by Ty Tagami | Jun 5, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Georgia’s top elected school official announced plans to seek another four years in office Thursday, as others sign up to compete for the office against him.
If Richard Woods wins re-election to a fourth term next year, he will be sworn in in January 2027 to serve alongside a third governor.
Republican Gov. Nathan Deal was starting his second term when Woods, also a Republican, took the oath of office to lead the Georgia Department of Education in January 2015. Woods went on to serve during both of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s terms.
“As State School Superintendent, I have focused on transforming the Georgia Department of Education from a compliance-oriented agency to one centered on service and support for school districts,” Woods said in a statement issued by the education agency Thursday. “That vision will continue and, as I seek a fourth term, I am committed to expanding the resources and supports we provide directly to teachers.”
But at least two people so far are hoping to deprive Woods of that opportunity.
“He’s a nice guy, but I’ve got three children in the school system, my wife’s a schoolteacher,” said Randell E. Trammel, who lives in Cartersville and is planning to run against Woods in the GOP primary. “I don’t believe we’re offering excellence in education for every student across the state, and that comes with leadership.”
Trammell, CEO of the Center for Civic Engagement, registered on Monday to raise money for his own superintendent campaign.
Trammell is nearly a year behind Nelva M. Lee, a Locust Grove entrepreneur whom Kemp appointed to a two-year term on the state Board of Community Health in 2021. She filed to raise money last June for her run as a Republican in the superintendent’s race.
At the time, Lee was ending her run as CEO of a technical school for medical and court interpreters and translators. She said the Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission shut it down for no good reason last year, “and I really would like to get rid of them.”
Lee, who now runs a tokenized real estate investment business, said she also wants to be superintendent to promote charter schools and to improve Georgia education overall, which she said is at “the bottom of the barrel.”
“For a state that touts itself as business-friendly, we need to do a better job,” Lee said.
Woods’ news about his candidacy was tucked into a statement that was mainly about a different topic. The news release from the education department led with the announcement that former state Teacher of the Year Christy Todd would be taking over operational control of the education agency as Woods’ new chief of staff.
Matt Jones, who had been in that role since 2015 and had navigated the department through COVID-19 and other crises, is departing the position.
“Matt will continue to be a valued thought partner for me and for the agency, and I wish him the very best as he moves forward in his career – one I know will always be shaped by his deep commitment to Georgia’s public schools and students,” Woods said.
Among the crises Jones faced was the controversy around Woods’ decision last year to withhold recommending an Advanced Placement African American studies course last summer, which was seen as a retreat from curriculum involving diversity, equity and inclusion. Woods reversed himself after numerous critics, including Kemp and the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, questioned his decision.
The appointment of Georgia’s 2024 teacher of the year to succeed Jones was promising news for Tracey Nance, who was Georgia Teacher of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
“Georgia Teachers of the Year are excited for Christy and look forward to her bringing a nuanced perspective of what teaching looks like today,” said Nance, who directs a fellowship for the National Network of State Teachers of the Year. “And we look forward to her being a cheerleader for all educators and for the rights of all students.”
by Ty Tagami | Jun 5, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The wide-open race for governor of Georgia in the next election will have Democrats assailing Republicans on access to health care and other quality of life issues, as a fourth liberal partisan enters the race.
State Rep. Derrick Jackson, a retired naval officer with a background in corporate marketing, cited hospital closures and Georgia’s refusal to expand Medicaid as top issues in an interview Wednesday, as the Democrat from Tyrone explained why he is contesting a fellow lawmaker, state Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta; former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Pastor Olu Brown in the Democratic primary next year.
Jackson echoed other critics of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s alternative to Medicaid expansion. The Pathways to Coverage, rolled out in 2023, had enrolled about 6,500 Georgians by early this year despite an estimated 200,000 without health insurance. To qualify, adults must work, go to school, volunteer or do other qualifying activities for 80 hours a month.
“He’s just been a disaster, in my humble opinion, around health care,” Jackson said, citing a shortage of doctors, especially in rural Georgia.
Bottoms and Esteves also cited health care as a top priority when they announced their plans to run for governor earlier this year.
State Attorney General Chris Carr was the first candidate to enter the race. The Republican is expected to see a challenge from Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has been piling money into his own campaign fund.
Carr cited jobs as a top priority late last year, when he announced his plan to run for the state’s highest office. He also focused on combating crime and “the left’s failed immigration policies.”
Jackson, who served 22 years in the U.S. Navy, called President Donald Trump’s approach to immigration “kidnapping” and said it is an affront to core American principles and the U.S. Constitution.
“You can’t just abduct a citizen … and then you just put them on a plane, and they end up in El Salvador or Venezuela or wherever else,” he said.
Another reason he gave for running: to raise the minimum wage and help more people cope with the rising cost of food, clothes and housing.
Jackson said his seven deployments and four combat missions instilled leadership skills that make him an ideal candidate for governor, especially when paired with his nine years of legislative experience.
He said he will be a more formidable candidate after learning from his unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor in 2022. Jackson finished sixth with 60,706 votes, less than 9% of the total, in a crowded primary against eight other Democrats.
by Dave Williams | Jun 5, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The ringleader of a bank fraud and identity theft scheme in Southwest Georgia involving stolen checks and a fake recruiting website has been sentenced to 81 months in federal prison.
Jalen Tylee Hill, also known as “Roscoe Hill,” 26, of Americus was the last of 15 defendants to be sentenced in the case. Hill pleaded guilty last month to one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identify theft, and one count of conspiracy to possess stolen mail.
According to court documents and testimony, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint in December 2021 about mail theft and forged checks. Investigators found that numerous checks that had been stolen from mailboxes at residential and commercial locations throughout the region were being forged and deposited into other bank accounts.
Hill was found to have directed the scheme, recruiting people via Facebook to deposit stolen, forged or duplicated checks into their bank accounts in exchange for splitting half of the money. During a six-month period, Hill stole hundreds of pieces of mail, took part in at least 68 incidents of bank fraud, and unlawfully used debit cards belonging to others at least 14 times.
Hill then deposited numerous stolen, forged or otherwise fraudulent checks into other bank accounts at more than 10 banks or other financial institutions, with a loss of more than $165,000.
As part of another scheme, Hill created a fake solar panel installation company recruiting page online from which he stole the identities of 28 victims.
“Schemes to defraud and steal from citizens will not be tolerated,” said C. Shanelle Booker, acting U.S. attorney in the Middle District of Georgia. “This case serves as a reminder for all of us to be as vigilant as possible with what we share online and monitor our financial accounts.”
After serving his prison sentence, Hill will be on three years of supervised release. The court will determine the restitution he must pay later.
A co-defendant in the case, Victoria Lynn Carter of Americus, also was sentenced on Wednesday. Carter, 25, will serve one year of supervised release.
Thirteen other co-defendants already have been sentenced to short prison terms and/or supervised release and ordered to pay restitution.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the FBI and U.S. Secret Service.
by Dave Williams | Jun 5, 2025 | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – Six state legislators from Georgia have signed onto a letter urging members of Congress to oppose a provision tucked inside President Trump’s massive budget bill that would freeze state and local regulation of artificial intelligence for 10 years.
The bipartisan letter, dated Tuesday and signed by more than 250 state lawmakers from across the nation, warns of the dangers of stopping in its tracks state-level efforts to put guardrails around rapidly growing AI technology.
“Over the past several years, states across the country have enacted AI-related laws increasing consumer transparency, setting rules for the government acquisition of new technology, protecting patients in our health-care system, and defending artists and creators,” the letter states.
“A federal moratorium on AI policy threatens to wipe out these laws and a range of legislation, impacting more than just AI development and leaving constituents across the country vulnerable to harm.”
The Georgia lawmakers who signed the letter include three Republicans – state Sen. John Albers of Roswell, and state Reps. Todd Jones of South Forsyth and Gary Richardson of Evans – and three Democrats – House Minority Whip Sam Park of Lawrenceville, House Democratic Caucus Chair Tanya Miller of Atlanta, and Rep. Scott Holcomb of Atlanta.
The U.S. House passed Trump’s bill – the cornerstone of his second-term agenda – last month by a single vote and sent it to the Senate. The huge bill contains a series of controversial spending cuts that would help fund an extension of the tax cuts Congress enacted early in the president’s first term.
But a host of provisions unrelated to tax and spending policies are inside the measure, including the freeze on state- and local-level AI regulations.
Some House Republicans – including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Rome – have said they didn’t know the AI provision was in the bill. Greene told The New York Times that she would have voted against the legislation had she known of the AI provision.
Jones, who chairs the Georgia House Technology & Infrastructure Innovation Committee, called the provision “catastrophic,” particularly given the fast pace at which AI technology is advancing.
“Ten years is untenable. There’s too many things happening,” he said. “By putting in a 10-year moratorium … we’re putting our dependence on a federal government that hasn’t been able to do anything effectively or efficiently.”
“Currently, they have done nothing, and we must act to protect our citizens and businesses, and to prepare for the future,” Albers added. “These are the same people who cannot balance a budget, so my confidence is very low that they will tackle something as complex as artificial intelligence.”
The General Assembly has been actively addressing AI issues in recent years, passing legislation in 2022 authorizing the use of autonomous service-delivery robots to deliver cargo, and passing bills this year requiring the Georgia Technology Authority to conduct annual inventories of AI use by state agencies and giving the state Department of Transportation authority over “vertiports,” which serve small aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing.
Legislation outlawing the creation of AI-generated “deep fakes” to spread false information or images in political campaigns cleared the House this year but died in the Senate.
