GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A local Sheriff's Office is under federal investigation for how it's spending money the office has recovered from drug raids.
For weeks, a team of investigators from Channel 2 Action News and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution have been pouring over documents and emails to find out what exactly the feds are looking at and how much it might cost you.
While critics accuse some departments, Gwinnett County specifically, of potentially misusing asset forfeiture funds, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office insists it's all legal.
"Is there concern about this review?" Channel 2's Tony Thomas asked Gwinnett County Deputy Sheriff Shannon Volkadov about the preliminary results of a federal compliance review.
“We fully anticipate the results of the audit will be favorable,” Volkadov said.
A review of communications between the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Department of Justice's money laundering and asset recovery section shows the feds have lots of questions about Gwinnett's spending.
Departments like Gwinnett take in big money from asset seizures as payment for their participation in investigations.
To date, the Gwinnett Sheriff's Office has paid back nearly $100,000 using taxpayer money.
For example, Gwinnett County has already paid back the feds $69,000 for the purchase of a Dodge Hellcat. The 707-horsepower muscle car is used by the sheriff as a take-home vehicle and for some other programs, but the feds deemed it too extravagant.
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“No matter what the final ruling on the car is, it's wrong,” said William Perry, with Georgia Ethics Watchdogs. “There is too much discretion with these funds.”
Records show a check from a taxpayer-funded account was written to pay back one Sheriff's Office donation to the group Movement Forward.
Its flagship program is the One Congregation, One Precinct effort.
Channel 2 Action News was there in 2016 as a group of clergy went through active shooter training as part of the program's effort to bring together faith groups and police.
The money was paid back even though the department doesn't necessarily agree with the finding.
“You've never seen riots in Gwinnett County, you've never seen places where citizens are blocking the streets, because we do maintain those relationships,” Volkadov said.
We found the feds have also asked for documentation about other purchases. In 2013, the department bought four M6 rifles, then donated them to the Georgia State Patrol for use in its new Gwinnett post.
“At the time, there was no violation of those guidelines,” Volkadov said.
There were also questions about $16,150 paid for leadership training with classes called Poise and Drive and $175,000 for a 30-seat passenger bus.
“The drug seizure money is ripe for abuse, because the police departments and sheriff's departments seem to treat it as a slush fund,” Perry told Thomas.
The Gwinnett County administrator emailed a statement to Thomas, saying leaders look forward to seeing the result of the audit and adding, “I have confidence in the sheriff's department and their financial decision.”
Cox Media Group
