Former State Representative Pleads Guilty-Again
Former Georgia State Representative Ron Sailor plead guilty to a superseding indictment and charges of money laundering, wire fraud and fraudulently obtaining a loan today in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Sailor had initially plead guilty to laundering and attempting to launder $375,000 worth of alleged drug proceeds in March. However, the court revoked Sailor's plea agreement when it was discovered that, following his December 2007 arrest, Sailor had secretly obtained a $250,000 loan using the Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church, where he was a pastor, as collateral, without the church's knowledge. Sailor re-pled today to the money laundering charges and the added loan charge.
Sailor caused the church's annual registration to be changed to show that he was the Chief Executive Officer and drafted a fake resolution of the church's board of directors purportedly authorizing Sailor to borrow money against the church's property, forging the signature of the church's secretary on the document. He also created false church bylaws. Sailor then submitted the documents to a Georgia bank which (with a startling lack of due diligence) made the loan. He hid the loan from the government, whom he was supposed to be assisting with another criminal investigation.
Sailor will be sentenced in September and could receive a maximum of 80 years in prison and a fine of up to $2.25 million.
