Since Jan. 2017, over $3 million in Richmond County taxpayer funds have gone to local attorney Randy Frails or an entity with which he is connected. That seems to be, in part, because whenever a public controversy arises in Augusta, be it over an individual or a public issue, Frails gets pulled into the controversy.
Sheriff Richard Roundtree, former Mayor Hardie Davis, Joe Mullins, State Sen. Harold Jones, City Attorney Wayne Brown, Melissa Oden, Confederate monuments and strip clubs — all have connections with Frails and his legal practice.
Most recently, Scott Hudson reported a story that involved one of Frails’ partners in his law firm: State Sen. Harold Jones. That firm that has billed the city for hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money, which wouldn’t be a problem except that Jones holds a public office. The ethics behind the Jones situation should raise some eyebrows: he is an elected official, and now also an employee of Richmond County, an entity that has spent quite a bit of money with his law firm.
A quick search of the online Augusta check register reveals that Frails has received payments mostly from the city law department but also from the engineering department, water and sewerage, and a huge $202,104 payment from public works administration in 2020.
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According to a recent WRDW investigation on the suicide of Tyrique Robinson, Frails is representing Melissa Oden. Frails already represents the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated Robinson’s death. The Augusta attorney indicated in that story that it was not a conflict of interest, despite many questions surrounding the suicide and follow up investigation of the sheriff’s office.
Frails is now trying to become the lawyer for the Richmond County Board of Education. Multiple board of education members confirmed off the record that Frails was pushing on Robinson for help to get him appointed to the position prior to the young man’s suicide. Anyone who has tried to get records under the Open Records Act from the Sheriff’s Office is familiar with Frails’ office and the difficulty associated with it. It would be a huge mistake for the RCBOE to select Frails as their lawyer.
Over the years, Frails also has represented Joe Mullins on a plethora of issues. Currently, Frails is representing Mullins in federal court on the case related to the alleged sale of Master’s badges.
Frails previously represented Hardie Davis many times as well, including his recent divorce. Davis eventually parted ways with Frails and hired alternative counsel.
More recently, Frails’ office was selected to defend the city against the lawsuit related to the Confederate monument’s removal.
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In full disclosure, I have personally worked with Frails’ office many times both on personal real estate matters and the fight over the strip clubs. The city won the case on the strip clubs, and Frails’ office was paid $80,000 for ITS troubles. I believe Frails did a fine job on that case as I had a front row seat to it and was actually deposed by the plaintiff’s lawyers.
While Frails is free to represent whomever he chooses, he has his hands in enough parts of our local government. The school board had excellent counsel in the late Pete Fletcher and needs to demand someone of at least that caliber be hired to represent them. Whomever they select needs to have a thorough understanding of the Open Records Act and be willing to engage in openness and transparency, which is something Frails has not promoted while representing the Sheriff’s Office.
Joe Edge is the publisher of The Augusta Press. Reach him at joe.edge@theaugustapress.com
