Former Atlanta Contractor Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison

ATLANTA, GA -- A former contractor for the city of Atlanta was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison in a widening bribery scandal, Patch has learned. Elvin “E.R.” Mitchell Jr. pleaded guilty in January to bribing city officials with more than $1 million for several projects over multiple years.

Mitchell's saga is far from over; he is the government's star witness in a case that will have far-reaching ramifications for city government. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

"He wants to get on with his sentence and cooperate and will be back," Craig Gillen, Mitchell's attorney, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We are continuing to cooperate and he will do whatever the government asks.”

Before the court, Mitchell took the time to make atonement for his actions, saying, "“Your honor, I would like to sincerely apologize,” the AJC reports. “I have been and continue to cooperate with the government."

Last month, the former chief procurement officer for the city of Atlanta, Adam L. Smith, admitted to taking money from a vendor who obtained millions of dollars in city contracts.

U.S. Attorney John A. Horn, whose office prosecuted the case, said Smith fell for the temptation to enrich himself at taxpayers' expense. “Great trust was placed in Smith as Chief Procurement Officer for the City of Atlanta, and he abused his position to serve his own financial interests.”

Atlanta City Hall Official Fired: 5 Things About Adam Smith

Smith's City Hall office was raided by agents in February after the allegations went public. He was then summarily fired by the city.

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The bribery case has figured prominently in the run for Atlanta's mayor, with several candidates raising the cloud of suspicion on the other. Meanwhile, federal agencies, including the FBI and IRS, continue to investigate the case.

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