Two Women Charged With Bribing Former DeKalb Tax Clerk Supervisor

ATLANTA, GA — Two Georgia women — Lesbia Lily Gonzalez Moreno, 46, and Ailin Michelle Maldonado, 24 — have been charged with paying bribes to a former supervisor in DeKalb County's Tax Commissioner's Office. Gerald D. Harris unlawfully registered vehicles after he received the bribes, according to a Dec. 14 press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Moreno and Maldonado allegedly paid multiple bribes to register illegally vehicles without the necessary documentation," U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak said in the Dec. 14 press release. "Whether you offer a bribe or take a bribe, corruption betrays the trust of our citizens in government and will subject you to federal prosecution."

From July 2017 to November 2019, Harris served as the supervisor of tax tag clerks for the DeKalb County Tax Commissioner's Office, the release said. In that position, Harris oversaw the Tax Commissioner North Office's clerks who processed motor vehicle registrations and renewals.

Under state law, a vehicle owner cannot register a vehicle or receive a license plate unless they present a valid Georgia driver's license or identification card at the time of application.

From at least May 2019 to Nov. 8, 2019, Moreno and Maldonado repeatedly paid Harris bribe payments — typically $200 per vehicle — to register and obtain license plates for vehicle owners identified by the two women, the release said. During this period, Harris received thousands of dollars in bribe payments from Moreno and Maldonado.

"When public officials take or pay bribes, they are tarnishing the reputations of every government official," said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, in the release. "The FBI and our federal, state and local partners will do everything in our power to arrest and punish those who violate the public's trust in hopes of restoring it."

Harris pleaded guilty to federal program bribery and blackmail earlier this year on July 14, and was sentenced to two years in prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, DeKalb County District Attorney's Office, Georgia Department of Revenue and DeKalb County Tax Commissioner's Office are investigating the case.