ATLANTA, GA – Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that on October 14, 2020, Arthur Geary Allen pled guilty in Cobb County Superior Court to one count of Theft by Taking. Allen was sentenced by Judge Robert D. Leonard under the First Offender Act to 20 years– two of which he will serve in custody with a turn-in date of February 26, 2021, followed by 18 years of probation – and to pay restitution in the amount of $301,872 which has already been recovered as a result of the prosecution.

"Our Prosecution Division’s Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Section stands proudly at the forefront of protecting Georgians and Georgia agencies from fraud,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “This case shows yet again how valuable our partnership with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is, and we thank them for their professionalism and assisting us in the successful prosecution of this case.”

“Fraud and embezzlement investigations can be extremely complicated,” said Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vic Reynolds. “GBI agents are dedicated to thoroughly work these types of investigations to find the truth. We are pleased with the successful prosecution of this case by the Attorney General’s Office.”

The case is summarized below:

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) is a member of the Southern Environmental Enforcement Network (SEEN).  SEEN is a non-profit corporation. It is an association of law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies from multiple southern states. SEEN provides training and networking opportunities for environmental enforcement professionals. Mr. Allen served as SEEN’s executive director. Among other things, the executive director is responsible for maintaining SEEN’s finances. Originally, SEEN’s headquarters operation was located in Alabama. In 2015, Allen requested to relocate SEEN’s office to Cobb County.

In 2017, SEEN’s board detected accounting irregularities. When they questioned Allen, he was unable to provide satisfactory explanations. On February 1, 2017, Allen admitted to a SEEN board member that he committed financial crimes against the organization. SEEN requested the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). A thorough GBI investigation uncovered that Allen opened a Wells Fargo account in SEEN’s name and listed himself as the only authorized signer. Between July of 2011 and December of 2016, Allen deposited $301,872 of SEEN’s money into the Wells Fargo account. All of the money was used by Allen for his personal benefit.

Mr. Allen was indicted by a Cobb County Grand Jury on October 10, 2019 for one count of Racketeering.

Assistant Attorney General Sandra Bailey for the Public Integrity and White Collar Crime Section prosecuted the case on behalf of the State, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation led the investigation.