GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor is facing a criminal investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation into an alleged “pay to play” scheme.
The owner of a longtime bail bonding company claims he was blocked from doing business at the Gwinnett County Jail after not supporting then-candidate Taylor’s run for sheriff.
Sheriff Taylor has denied any wrongdoing and insists that the owner’s complaints are nothing more than dirty politics. He is confident he will be cleared following the GBI’s investigation.
A 2019 surveillance video captured during Sheriff Taylor’s campaign is at the heart of this investigation.
“If folks don’t support me, I’m not going to let them bond here,” the now-sheriff can be heard saying in the surveillance footage.
Sheriff Taylor says these words are taken out of context.
“He used some minimal misinformation, doctored tampered evidence,” said Taylor.
His critics, including Anytime Bail Bonds owner Scott Hall, say it is evidence of a much bigger issue.
Hall is suing Taylor, claiming that because his company didn’t pay to play, Taylor retaliated against him and banned his company from doing business at the jail on his first day in office.
Hall insists that besides sending a clip of the video to GBI Director Vic Reynolds last year, he has not been involved in the criminal investigation.
When Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas asked Taylor if he was concerned about the GBI investigation, he responded, “Not at all, not even the least little bit.”
In a one-on-one interview with Thomas, Sheriff Taylor said he has trimmed the number of bondsmen working in Gwinnett County from 10 to four, and claims he did not target Anytime Bail Bonds.
“They did not file their paperwork on time,” the sheriff said.
Critics still point back to his words in 2019 as evidence of his intentions.
A GBI spokesperson says the investigation is ongoing and there is no timeline for completion.
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