Former Duluth Mayor, Gwinnett Commissioner Pleads Guilty To Bribery

Shirley Lasseter, whose Gwinnett BOC district included Suwanee and Duluth, has pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges, authorities confirmed Thursday.

Lasseter's sentencing is set for Aug. 6, and she faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta.

The Duluth resident resigned her Gwinnett office Thursday. She accepted $36,500 in bribes from an undercover FBI agent posing as a South Florida real estate developer, authorities said. The bribery scheme concerned a proposed development on Boggs Road.

Lasseter, a former mayor of Duluth, said earlier this year that she would not seek re-election to the Board of Commissioners.

Also charged were Lasseter's son, John Fanning, and businessman Carl "Skip" Cain. Fanning and Cain are also charged with possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

All the defendants have been released on $10,000 signature bonds.

In September, the federal complaint said, Fanning and Cain flew to the New York area to assist in collecting what they thought would be a multiple-kilogram shipment of cocaine. They spent the night in New York and flew back with "four kilograms of purported cocaine," and Fanning and Cain each took possession of two kilograms of the substance so they could deliver it to a prospective buyer, the complaint said.

Fanning and Cain also face 10 years each in prison after pleading guilty to bribery and drug trafficking charges. They face mandatory terms of five years.

The authorities said that the defendants were participating in an ongoing investigation of corruption in Gwinnett County.

Patch will have more details soon on this development.