Trump declines to commute sentences of former Atlanta officials convicted in federal corruption probe
Two former city of Atlanta officials serving time in prison under a federal corruption probe will remain in custody after President Trump declined to commute their sentences.
Mitzi Bickers and Jimmie "Jim" A. Beard were among a massive list of applications denied by Mr. Trump on July 10, a list from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney reveals.
Bickers was the first person to go to trial in the investigation into corruption during the administration of former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. She helped Reed win the mayoral election and then worked as his director of human services for several years. Prosecutors said she used her influence to funnel roughly $17 million in business to city contractors Elvin "E.R." Mitchell Jr. and Charles P. Richards Jr. in exchange for more than $2.9 million in bribes for herself and others.
The former official used the money for big purchases, such as a lakefront home, a 2014 GMC Denali SUV and four Yamaha WaveRunners, and spent lavishly on travel and personal expenses, prosecutors said.
In 2022, a jury found Bickers guilty on nine of 12 counts, including money laundering, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery.
U.S. District Judge Steve Jones told Bickers that the evidence showed that she was involved in "a deliberate, calculated plan to cheat" the taxpayers of Atlanta over a number of years before sentencing her to 14 years in prison. That sentence was reduced by two years in 2025. In addition to the prison time, Jones ordered Bickers to pay nearly $3 million in restitution to the city and to serve three years of supervised release once she's out.
Beard served as the city's chief financial officer under Reed, managing Atlanta's financial resources from 2011 to 2018.
Prosecutors said he charged luxury trips to a city credit card, double-dipped on travel reimbursements, cheated on his taxes and used the auspices of the city police department to buy a pair of custom-built machine guns otherwise unavailable to civilians.
Beard pleaded guilty in 2024 to diverting government funds and lying to the IRS. As part of a plea deal, six other counts, including possession of a machine gun, were dropped. Jones sentenced him to three years in prison and three years of supervised release. He will also have to pay restitution of $177,197 plus a $10,000 fine.
Bickers and Beard were two of the 10 people convicted as part of the federal probe. Reed himself has never been charged.
