ATLANTA — Former City of Atlanta Commissioner of Watershed Management Jo Ann Macrina has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for accepting bribes from an Atlanta contractor in exchange for steering city business worth millions of dollars to the contractor’s company.
U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan stated, “Jo Ann Macrina was entrusted to safeguard the water supply for millions of Atlanta residents but instead resorted to corruption by steering work to a city contractor in exchange for cash, luxury items, and a lucrative job offer. We are committed to working closely with our partners to rid local government of those who allow personal greed to lead to the abuse of positions of trust.”
According to prosecutors, Macrina, who served as the Commissioner of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management from 2011 through May 2016, took multiple steps to steer lucrative contracts toward a specific firm.
In exchange for providing the firm’s executive vice president with access to confidential information and preferential treatment on City of Atlanta projects, prosecutors say Macrina was offered a job and accepted things of value, including $10,000 in cash, a diamond ring, a room at a luxury hotel in Dubai, and landscaping work at her home.
According to Buchanan, Macrina’s actions included casting aside prior final scores ranking potential vendors where the joint venture ranked near the bottom, replacing two evaluators who previously represented the Department of Watershed Management with herself and Macrina’s employee, and scoring the joint venture higher than all other evaluators during a reevaluation.
“By enriching herself through bribes, Jo Ann Macrina abused her public trust,” said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “The sentence she received serves notice to public officials that they are not above the law and will be held accountable for using public funds for their own use.”
Macrina was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones to four years and six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and $40,000 in restitution. Macrina was convicted of conspiracy and federal program bribery on Oct. 14, 2022, following a jury trial.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Nathan P. Kitchens for the Northern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Jolee Porter of the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case.
For further information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
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