GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County grand jury voted unanimously Wednesday to investigate whether Solicitor General Lisamarie Bristol had legal authority to let some defendants donate to a nonprofit to resolve their cases.
Grand juries in Georgia have the power to inspect the offices and records of county officials, and this one voted 18-0 to use it. The appointed committee can review Bristol’s records, policies and agreements, and conduct interviews before reporting findings to the full jury.
“Our program is legal. It’s compliant with OCGA 15-18-80, which is the code section which governs pretrial diversion,” Bristol told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson.
“It’s frankly taken from other counties who are doing very similar things, if not the exact same thing with different charities,” Bristol said.
Bristol, who took office in January 2023, runs the office that prosecutes misdemeanors and traffic cases in Gwinnett County. According to her office, in 2025 her team handled more than 10,400 cases in state court. About 1,250 of those went through the pretrial diversion program, which gives eligible first-time, nonviolent offenders a path to have their charges dismissed without a conviction.
Of those, roughly 50 defendants used a charitable donation option, sending money to the Gwinnett Coalition, a health literacy nonprofit. Donations were capped at $175 per case, according to the solicitor general’s office.
Bristol’s office estimates just less than $8,000 was raised in total and said it never handled the funds directly.
She says state law authorizes prosecutors to create diversion programs and gives them broad discretion to set conditions for participants, which she argues covers the donation option.
“There’s no enrichment happening here,” Bristol said. “Gwinnett Coalition was chosen because of the great work they’re doing for the citizens of Gwinnett County.”
Her opponent in the May 20 Democratic primary, Joseph Morales, sees it differently.
“When you’re making a decision, it must be grounded in the law,” Morales said. “And if you’re not doing that, then it erodes public trust.”
Morales spent 15 years as a Gwinnett County police officer before putting himself through law school.
He then worked seven and a half years in the solicitor general’s office before joining the DA’s office, where he is now an assistant district attorney on leave to run for Bristol’s seat.
He argues a separate provision of state law requires diversion fees to go to the county’s general fund, not a charity, and says he had no role in the grand jury decision.
“I’m not saying don’t donate to charity. What I’m saying is that when you’re making a decision, it must be grounded in the law,” Morales said.
Some defendants with hunting and fishing citations could also donate to the Georgia Wildlife Federation to resolve their cases.
The Gwinnett County DA’s office confirmed it is aware the grand jury is looking into the diversion program’s practices but did not comment further. Bristol called the timing of the investigation, 34 days before the primary, politically motivated.
“What we are seeing here is the weaponization of the grand jury for political gain,” Bristol said.
According to the resolution, the grand jury committee will report its findings to the full jury, which may take further action as authorized by law.
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