Sammie Sias fell head-first off of his self-built perch, the victim of his own greed and almost unmatched ego, exposed by an angry former lover.
Sias’ first day in the federal prison system was likely rather startling for the former military man. He is having to get used to the regimented lifestyle behind bars, but being referred to by an inmate number and not “Mr. Sias” will likely get some getting used to as well.
Sadly, the fall of the Sias fiefdom is a rare occurrence in Augusta. It took a confession from a scorned woman to shine the light on Sias’ misdeeds and intervention by the FBI to guarantee justice in the case.
For decades, Augusta has been run by a system of fiefdoms where the money flows and accountability is non-existent. Checks are cut from the coffers of the taxpayers and receipts are tossed to the wind.
Going across all the racial and ideological lines, the prevailing theme in Augusta politics has been, “If you don’t tell on me, I won’t tell on you.” People remember the old “Cracker Party” as being a bunch of White guys sitting in a smoke filled room in the Discotheque deciding city business. They don’t realize there were just as many Black Crackers as there were White Crackers.
Sias came from that system, a system perfected by none-other-than former State Senator Charles Walker prior to his own fall from grace.
While the successful prosecution of Sias gives us renewed faith in the rule of law, there are many other fiefdoms out there waiting to be exposed.
Perhaps spending 36 months cooling his heels will humble Sias, but that is doubtful.
The bigger picture here is that the citizens of Augusta are sick of the corruption and tired of politicians using the public’s hard-earned tax money for personal enrichment instead of the intended purpose.
Sias was not the first domino to fall, and it is highly likely that he will not be the last.
