A federal grand jury has subpoenaed campaign and banking records of former DeKalb County Commissioner Sharon Barnes-Sutton, WSB-TV reported Thursday evening. The television station says multiple sources, including an attorney for Barnes-Sutton, have confirmed that subpoenas were issued covering records as far back as 2012. The action comes two years after a federal subpoena was issued investigating how Barnes-Sutton spent office funds just before leaving office, including payments of $22,289 to CAL Enterprises for communications services and a $9,100 payment for a self-promoting 21-page "transition report."
An attorney for Barnes-Sutton told WSB-TV reporter Richard Belcher that the subpoenas are an effort to discredit Barnes-Sutton, who was defeated by Commissioner Steve Bradshaw by a more than 3-to-1 margin in a 2016 primary. The attorney, Otis Williams, contends the investigation is in retaliation for Barnes-Sutton's successful lawsuit challenging the composition of the county's Ethics Board. The ethics board had been considering complaints that Barnes-Sutton abused her county purchasing card and misspent public money while in office.
