Lawmaker Tyrone Brooks Promises Response To Indictment

It is alleged that Rep. Brooks solicited donations for issues such as combating illiteracy and to fund other charitable causes.

However, the indictment claims money never went to any charities.

Instead, it went to personal expenses for Brooks and his family members according to the indictment.

The 30-count indictment includes charges of mail, wire and tax fraud.

WABE legal analyst Page Pate says it appears authorities are following a money trail.

“They’re alleging that representative Brooks used a telephone, used a computer, some form of communications that involved the wires or involved the mail. And the federal government has to do that in order to have jurisdiction to prosecute basically a theft case like this is.”

Rep. Brooks founded the Universal Humanities charity and was the president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials.

The indictment alleges, that Brooks claimed the charity had a staff, conducted workshops and tutored students.

And funds earmarked for GABEO, where instead deposited in an undisclosed account.

Page Pate calls this a document case.

“The government doesn’t need a lot of witnesses. The documents will tell the story. If they follow the money and they show the money going into these accounts and then being removed for personal reasons not being related to the organizations; it’s a pretty simple case”

Brooks, a longtime democratic lawmaker represents a diagonal line of neighborhoods from North Atlanta down to Southwest Atlanta.

He was first elected to the general assembly in 1980.

Atlanta based attorney and political strategist Erica Long calls the indictment sad and troubling, but she has greater concerns for the district Brooks represents.

“There are some economic development problems that have not been addressed in a long time. There’s some problems within in our public educational system that have not been addressed for a long time.”

When reached by phone, Brooks would only say he plans to address the indictment during a press conference.

Brook said that would probably take place at the Moores Ford Bridge in Monroe, GA.

For years Brooks has been leading the efforts to continue an investigation and possible prosecution of those responsible for what’s called America’s last mass lynching which took place on the bridge.