A former Stonecrest mayor who went to prison for stealing COVID-19 relief money now faces state charges for lying about his criminal record to register to vote and run for city council.
What’s Happening: A DeKalb County grand jury indicted 63-year-old Jason Wallace Lary on Tuesday on four charges, including false registration and making false statements about his candidacy.
- Lary signed documents in August claiming he was not a convicted felon when he registered to vote and filed to run for Stonecrest City Council District 5.
- He was released from federal prison in February and remains under three years of supervised release for his 2022 conviction.
What’s Important: Lary went to federal prison in 2022 after pleading guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds meant for Stonecrest while he served as mayor. He spent nearly three years behind bars.
Between the Lines: Two citizens challenged Lary’s candidacy, prompting the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections to investigate. The board voted unanimously in September to disqualify him as a candidate and remove him from voter rolls.
Catch Up Quick: Lary pleaded guilty in January 2022 to wire fraud, federal program theft, and conspiracy. A federal judge sentenced him to four years and nine months in prison in July 2022.
What Happens Next: Lary plans to turn himself in to the DeKalb County Jail today. The District Attorney’s office has agreed to a $5,000 bond. He will be scheduled for an arraignment on the charges.
The Sources: DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.