Former Stonecrest Mayor Jason Lary is running for a spot on the city council. (FOX 5)
STONECREST, Ga. - The former mayor of Stonecrest is getting back into politics after serving time in prison for stealing COVID-19 relief funds.
Jason Lary has officially qualified to run for Stonecrest City Council in District 5.
The backstory:
In 2022, a federal judge sentenced Lary to 57 months in prison for three counts involving wire fraud, theft of government funds, and conspiracy.
Lary admitted stealing nearly $1 million in relief money by requiring needy Stonecrest churches and businesses to kick back a portion of their grant money to companies he controlled.
As mayor, federal authorities say he took control of who received $6.2 million in CARES Act money and worked behind the scenes with an organization known as Municipal Resource Partners Corporation, Inc. ("MRPC") to disburse the funds. .
Lary asked potential recipients to kickback 25% of their grant to other companies for "marketing" purposes. Lary did not disclose he controlled these companies.
In one case, federal investigators alleged that Lary gave a church $150,000 under the condition that they would give a third of the money to a company called Real Estate Management Consultants LLC, which Lary controlled.
He began his sentence in January 2023, and was released from Federal prison in February.
Dig deeper:
A former health care executive, Lary was instrumental in convincing the Georgia General Assembly to create the city of Stonecrest along Interstate 20.
Lary won the mayor’s race twice, making him the city’s only mayor in its brief history before he resigned. Former Stonecrest city councilwoman Jazzmin Cobble was sworn in as mayor after his resignation and has been in the position ever since.
What's next:
Lary will face incumbent Tammy Grimes, Karmesha Washington Smith, and Diana Adoma in the city council race.
The election is set for Nov. 4.
The Source: Information for this article came from the City of Stonecrest and previous FOX 5 reporting.