Gov. Nathan Deal today received a certified copy of state Rep. Tyrone Brooks’s (D-Atlanta) indictment from Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens.
Brooks was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he misappropriated almost $1 million in charitable funds from Universal Humanities, a charity he founded in 1990, and the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials (GABEO), according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The state constitution calls for a 14-day waiting period before the governor convenes a panel to decide if Brooks should be suspended from his office.
If the representative is suspended, the seat will remain vacant until the next regularly held election or until the case is adjudicated in his favor. After two weeks, Gov. Deal will convene a panel comprised of Olens, a senator and a representative. The panel’s decision is final.
“Everyone knows that civil rights activists don’t take,” Brooks told the Daily World. “We give. I’ve given everything but my life to make this a better world.”
Friends who have rallied to his support agree.
Religious, NAACP and SCLC leaders speak of his lifelong commitment to civil rights and the impact he has had in the more than 50 years he has given to the cause. He is considered one of the most popular and hardest working legislators in state government.
Former Governor Roy Barnes who is representing Brooks for free against the federal indictment said at a recent press conference, “His life is about service, not amassing great wealth. If his life had been about wealth, he could afford to pay me.”
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