ATLANTA – The City of Atlanta’s former Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), Jimmie “Jim” A. Beard, pleaded guilty today to theft of government funds, which included the purchase and possession of two machine guns, and obstructing federal tax laws.

“Jim Beard abused his power as the CFO for the City of Atlanta to steal tens of thousands of dollars from taxpayers to fund personal trips, luxuries, and even custom-built machine guns, then lied to the IRS and submitted altered records when called to account for suspicious write-offs,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “The people of the City of Atlanta deserved better stewards of taxpayer money, and Beard’s guilty plea today is a demonstration that public officials who abuse their power will be held accountable.”

“Beard’s continuous abuse of his position as one of the most powerful executives in the City of Atlanta is not only a violation of his oath, but a violation to all other public official’s credibility, which erodes public trust in government,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Public corruption is one of the FBI’s top priorities. It is our hope that by holding Beard accountable for his greed it will help regain some of the public’s trust.”

“As a public official, Beard was delegated to conduct city business on behalf of Atlanta residents,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Instead, he chose to steal from public coffers for his own benefit and willfully broke federal tax laws. Let Beard’s plea today serve as notice to others entrusted with carrying out government business on behalf of the people that IRS special agents and our law enforcement partners will investigate, and our justice system will hold accountable those who break the public’s trust.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges and other information presented in court: From approximately…