Civil rights leader and former Georgia State Rep. Tyrone Brooks will have to serve time in prison. According to reports by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Brooks was sentenced after being found guilty of tax, mail and wire fraud.
Brooks, 70, resigned from office after 35 years once it was discovered that he diverted close to $1 million of foundation funds to his personal bank account. Brooks received money from corporations while he was the head of the Universal Humanities for Vision of Literacy and the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials.
Brooks initially said that he was the subject of a witch-hunt by individuals who were offended by his stance against racism. Brooks often headed a re-enactment of the murder of two Black couples who were lynched in Walton County, Georgia, 69 years ago. The killers were never apprehended and Brooks has made a quest to shed light on the murders and other racial issues in the South.
Brooks, who was defended by former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison. He has yet to give a statement about whether he will appeal the sentence.
