With a final few technical details worked out Thursday, July 14, the federal trial for suspended Augusta Commissioner Sammie Sias is on track to begin later this month.
Sias, who represented District 4 until the governor suspended him from office following his July 2021 indictment, is accused of destroying potential evidence and lying to federal investigators as they examined allegations Sias defrauded taxpayers.
Sias has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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The allegations against Sias became public in July 2019 when former Jamestown Community Center manager Willa Hilton accused him of multiple misdeeds including theft. Fellow commissioners called for an investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and federal agents began an investigation as well.
Federal agents raided Sias’ home in the Sandridge subdivision in August 2019, removing boxes and computer equipment, according to news reports at the time. The indictment alleges that two days before the raid, Sias deleted hundreds of pages of documents concerning the Jamestown Community Center.
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Sias founded the Sandridge Community Association in 1992 and the association contracted with the city to run the Jamestown Community Center in 1998. Sias was the face of the community center on New Karleen Road, leading the case for making improvements at the center where he held monthly Saturday breakfast meetings.
Thursday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall granted the prosecutors’ motions to keep out the contents of Sias’ three-hour interview with FBI agents on Aug. 8, 2019, which occurred the day before Sias allegedly make false statements to agents. Hall also ruled that prosecutors can present evidence of alleged wrongdoing at the community center as long as it is directly related to the criminal charges Sias faces.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
