Former DeKalb Commissioner Boyer pleads guilty | www.ajc.com

Elaine Boyer stood in front of a federal judge Wednesday afternoon and pleaded guilty to systematically bilking her DeKalb County constituents out of more than $90,000.

U.S. District Judge Orinda Evans told the former county commissioner that she could be sentenced to a maximum of 40 years in prison. However, Evans said, federal prosecutors had recommended that Boyer receive a lesser sentence, based on her guilty plea to mail fraud conspiracy and wire fraud and on other factors.

The judge also told Boyer she must pay restitution.

Boyer, who had represented north DeKalb as the panel’s only Republican, admitted to engineering a two-year kickback scheme involving a phony consultant, and using a county Visa card as if it were her personal debit card.

The federal charges say Boyer tapped taxpayers for more than $93,000. An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, however, puts the figure at just over $100,000.

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