Former Atlanta Official Is Latest To Face Charges In Atlanta Bribery Scandal

What We’ve Learned So Far

The first charges came in January 2017. Federal prosecutors zeroed in on a construction company owner named E.R. Mitchell.

He had paid more than $1 million in bribes, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Atlanta said. And soon they revealed Mitchell had an accomplice: another builder, Charles Richards.

Richards faced a smaller charge. He offered bribes totaling about $200 million. The goal for both contractors, however, was the same: to win city bids.

But in order for that to work, officials had to accept the bribes. And that’s who we learned about next.

A not-so-subtle hint came when the city fired its chief procurement officer, Adam Smith.

Months later, Smith actually pleaded guilty. He had taken more than $40,000 in bribes.

Then, the investigation caught up with Mitzi Bickers, who we heard about this week. That’s after the former human resources director’s name had already come up.

Bickers had resigned from her role in 2013. At the time, there were concerns over outside consulting income she hadn’t disclosed.

Then, as the bribery scandal unfolded, the U.S. Department of Justice requested documents from the city mentioning Bickers.

Now we know why. Federal prosecutors said Thursday she received more than $2 million from contractors to send business their way. Bickers pleaded not guilty.

And her name may not be the last.

Atlanta’s U.S. Attorney BJ Pak said the investigation isn’t over yet. He warned others involved in the corruption scandal that now is the time to come forward.