Snellville Mayor Turns Self In At Gwinnett Jail

SNELLVILLE, GA — Snellville Mayor Tom Witts turned himself in at Gwinnett County Jail on Thursday, a week after a grand jury indicted him on 66 theft and tax evasion charges.

Witts turned himself in at the jail at about 12:30 p.m., according Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Dep. Shannon Volkodav. He was released shortly after 1 p.m. on a $20,000 signature bond. A signature bond means he did not have to pay upfront, but could be charged that amount if he fails to show for a court appearance.

Last Thursday, Witts was indicted on 66 counts — 65 of them felonies — after a lengthy investigation by the Gwinnett County District Attorney's office and other state and local authorities. Witt is charged with tax evasion, lying on official documents, improperly allowing his business to perform work for the city and using campaign funds for personal expenses.

The lone misdemeanor indictment involves charges that Witt used 2015 campaign funds on a pornography website.

Porter had confirmed last April that Witts was under investigation and that his home and business were raided by Georgia Bureau of Investigation officers last March. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and state Department of Revenue were reportedly part of the investigation of Witts.

Witts' taxes became an issue during the mayoral election in 2015. He said at the time he had taken money from a 401k account to pay back taxes and penalties he owed.

A native of Simpson, Pennsylvania, Witts is a U.S. Navy veteran and CEO of Georgia Property Restoration.
He served on Snellville's city council from 2009 until last year, when he resigned to run for mayor.

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Photo courtesy Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office