Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia took action against the chairman of Newton County Commission, Marcello Banes, who has been indicted on charges of receiving a kickback in a real estate deal. Banes has been suspended from office by Kemp until the case reaches a resolution or his term ends. This also means that the county will not pay Banes’ salary during the suspension unless he is cleared of the charges.
The indictment, which was brought forward in June, also includes Newton County Commissioner-elect Stephanie Lindsey, accusing them of federal money laundering connected to a property sale by an economic development agency in 2019. The charges suggest that Banes, as a voting member of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Newton, Morgan, and Walton counties, concealed an arrangement for the buyer to give a $150,000 commission to Lindsey.
Although the company involved is not named in the indictment, Newton County property records indicate that Prism Investments bought the land for $3 million in March 2019 as outlined in court documents. According to U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan, the company was unaware of the kickback to Banes and would not have paid Lindsey had they known about it. The authority has stated that they were unaware of any illegal activities.
Bank records indicate that Lindsey passed $100,000 of the kickback money to Banes. The indictment claims that Banes used $84,000 to purchase a house, with Lindsey subsequently writing a $28,000 check for basement and foundation work on Banes’ new property. Banes is also accused of providing false information to FBI agents regarding Lindsey’s involvement, while Lindsey is charged with filing inaccurate tax returns that omitted the $150,000 payment.
Both Banes and Lindsey have pleaded not guilty and are currently out on bail. Their trial date is yet to be scheduled. Despite the indictment, Banes stated his commitment to clearing his name and serving the residents of Newton County. Lindsey, in response, mentioned her anticipation for the truth to be revealed in court, asserting that as a lawyer and public servant, she would not knowingly violate any laws.
Following their victories in the Democratic primaries earlier in the year – with no Republican opponents in November – both Banes and Lindsey are poised for leadership positions in the Newton County Commission. If the charges are still pending when their new terms begin on Jan. 1, Kemp may need to consider suspending them once more. Banes was first elected in 2016.
