Atlanta Purchasing Chief Who Pleaded Guilty 'Abused His Position': Official

ATLANTA, GA -- The former chief procurement officer for the city of Atlanta will not learn of his fate until January 2018, when he is scheduled for sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiring to accept more than $30,000 in bribe payments, the city said. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that Adam L. Smith, 53, admitted to taking money from a vendor who obtained millions of dollars in city contracts.

U.S. Attorney John A. Horn, whose office prosecuted the case, said Smith fell for the temptation to enrich himself at taxpayers' expense. “Great trust was placed in Smith as Chief Procurement Officer for the City of Atlanta, and he abused his position to serve his own financial interests.” (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Atlanta City Hall Official Fired: 5 Things About Adam Smith

Smith's City Hall office wasraided by agents in February after the allegations went public. He was then summarily fired by the city.

Smith, a Morehouse College graduate, rose through the ranks in city government to eventually be put in charge of overseeing Atlanta’s purchasing activities and its expenditure of billions of dollars in taxpayer money for public projects. He served in his position since 2003.

The head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Atlanta office said that Smith's fate should be a caution to other city officials. “It is hoped that this case serves as notice to others that similar such conduct among public officials will not be condoned and that there are severe consequences should that notice go unheeded,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office.

Like us on Facebook

Federal prosecutors said that from a date "unknown" but at least since 2015 to January of this year, Smith took payments under the table from an unidentified executive of an Atlanta construction firm, who was awarded contracts worth millions of dollars. The executive was also a partner in the firm, according to federal prosecutors.

Smith would meet with the vendor frequently at local restaurants. Prosecutors said that money -- usually increments of $1,000 in cash -- would change hands in the restaurant’s bathroom. In total, Smith was given $30,000, prosecutors.

The case is still being investigated by federal agencies, including the FBI and IRS.

Image via city of Atlanta