Former ATL Mayor's Aide Charged With Taking Bribes

ATLANTA, GA — A top aide to the former mayor of Atlanta has been charged with accepting bribes.

Evelyn Katrina Taylor-Parks, 49, of Douglas County, is charged with one count of conspiratorial bribery, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. They say she is expected to plead guilty to the charge in federal court next week.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office in Atlanta, Parks worked to get bribes from a vendor with the City of Atlanta from 2011 through February 2014. She served as deputy chief of staff under then-Mayor Kasim Reed from January 2010 to the end of his second term this year.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here.)

Prosecutors say the vendor paid Parks thousands of dollars and, in return, received tens of thousands of dollars worth of contract work with the city. Parks filed financial disclosure statements with the City of Atlanta that falsely said she didn't work with any other business or entity than the city, they say.

"The City of Atlanta and its citizens placed immeasurable trust in Parks to act in the best interests of the city," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "Public officials have a responsibility to lead with integrity. Regrettably, Parks allegedly exchanged the power and trust given to her for bribe money paid by a city contractor."

The case is being investigated by both the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.

Photo via Shutterstock