PEARSON, GA (WDBJ) – Pearson Mayor Robert “Buster” Johnson, 49, of Pearson, Atkinson County, Georgia, has been arrested and charged with a wide range of criminal offenses. The charges include multiple counts related to bribery, fraud, theft, and conspiracy.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) launched an investigation into Johnson after the Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office received complaints about his involvement in fraudulent activities. The District Attorney’s Office requested the GBI’s assistance in uncovering the alleged scheme.
Through the investigation, GBI agents revealed that Johnson had been part of a plot to have an incarcerated individual released from jail using fraudulent documentation. He was also found to be involved in obtaining kickbacks from city contracts, stealing municipal land, and bribing city employees.
The charges against Johnson are extensive and include:
Criminal Attempt to Commit Hindering or Apprehension or Punishment of Criminal
3 counts of Influencing Witnesses
Criminal Solicitation to Commit False Statements and Writings
Criminal Solicitation to Commit False Official Certificates or Writings by Officers or Employees of a State and Political Subdivision
2 counts of False Statements and Writings
Criminal Attempt to Commit Theft by Taking
Conspiracy in Restraint of Free and Open Competition
4 counts of Conspiracy to Defraud State and Political Subdivision
Theft by Deception
3 counts of Bribery
2 counts of Theft by Taking
Fraud, Forgery, and Theft in Connection with Registration of Title to Land
Filing False Documents
4 counts of Violation of Oath of Office by Public Officer
Johnson was booked into the Atkinson County Jail but is currently housed in Coffee County. The investigation remains active, and more arrests are expected.
Anyone with information regarding the case is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at (912) 389-4103. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or online at the GBI website.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be handed over to the Alapaha Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
