Atlanta City Councilman indicted for attempting to defraud several financial institutions

ATLANTA — Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Brown has been indicted on multiple fraud charges in connection with his attempts to defraud several financial institutions, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

U.S. Attorney Byong J. “BJay” Pak said Brown took out loans and made credit card purchases, and then falsely claimed he was the victim of identity theft and not responsible for the charges or repaying the loans.

“For years, Antonio Brown allegedly sought to defraud a number of banks and credit card companies by falsely claiming that he was the victim of identity theft,” Pak said in a statement. “Brown’s scheme was eventually brought to light, resulting in his indictment by the grand jury.”

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Pak said the scheme started in 2012 when Brown opened a number of credit cards and made thousands of dollars in purchases for his own benefit. He also got $60,000 in car loans to buy a Mercedes C300 and a Range Rover. $75,000 loan in August 2017.

Brown also allegedly lied on an application for a $75,000 loan in 2017. Prosecutors say Brown lied about his income and assets.

Brown, 35, has been indicted on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud and making false statements on a bank loan application.

All of the activity under investigation happened before Brown was elected. Brown was elected to District 3 in 2019.

Atlanta City Council president Felicia Moore released a statement Wednesday evening, saying:

“As the public has been made aware, Council member Antonio Brown has recently been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on multiple charges unrelated to his service on the Atlanta City Council. At this time, no vacancy on Council exists as a result of this occurrence. A vacancy would only exist in the event of a resignation, conviction, or state-level suspension.

“Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Northern District of Georgia), please be reminded that the indictment only contains charges and the defendant is presumed innocent until otherwise proven at trial. This is a personal matter to be addressed by Mr. Brown as he undergoes due process of the law.”

Cox Media Group