ATLANTA — A grand jury has charged state Sen. Don Balfour with illegally claiming legislative expense pay and double-billing the state and his private employer for the same expenses, according to an indictment released Friday.
The indictment accuses Balfour of falsifying multiple reports to claim pay and travel expenses from the General Assembly. On several of the days when Balfour claimed state pay, lobbyists reported entertaining the lawmaker outside of Georgia.
Balfour, R-Snellville, previously agreed to pay a $5,000 fine issued by the Senate Ethics Committee for accepting pay for in-state work and travel on days when he was elsewhere. Lawmakers may only claim their legislative expense pay if they are conducting official business inside the state. They can claim expenses while traveling outside Georgia if they are part of an official delegation approved in advance.
The Fulton County grand jury handed down its indictment Tuesday.
Balfour admitted last year that he made “mistakes.” He did not return messages seeking comment Friday. His attorney, Patrick McDonough, said that Balfour did nothing criminal.
via Georgia state Sen. Don Balfour indicted | The Augusta Chronicle.
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