ATLANTA – Inspector General Deborah Wallace announced today that former Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) employee Marc Hannon-White was arraigned and indicted on federal charges of bribery and extortion. A federal grand jury indicted Hannon-White on November 5, 2019, on one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion, and two counts of Hobbs Act extortion.

 

Between February 2014 and January 2015, Hannon-White worked for the division of ARC that administered, managed, and staffed federally funded workforce development programs.  During this time, Hannon-White used his position to solicit and accept payments from training providers that received federal funds for each qualified student they trained. Hannon-White allegedly arranged some of the bribe payments by text, sending his bank account number to one training provider who then caused money to be deposited into Hannon-White’s account in exchange for receiving additional students.

 

“Hannon-White instilled fear in Georgia providers trying to compete in the global economy to line his own pockets with thousands of dollars of federal funds administered by the state of Georgia. Our partnership with the US Department of Labor OIG and other agencies and law enforcement partners is essential for continued public trust. We are committed to weeding out individuals who misuse their positions for their own greed at the expense of Georgia taxpayers,” said Inspector General Wallace.

 

OIG Investigator Jonelle Vernon assisted the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General with the investigation of these charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is prosecuting the case.