Former Commissioner Sammie Sias Gets Sentence Reduced
Former Augusta Commissioner Sammie Sias is getting his prison sentence reduced. Instead of serving 36 months, Sias will spend 30 months behind bars, thanks to the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s new federal guidelines. The minimum sentencing guidelines have been lowered for nonviolent offenders with no criminal history.
The 68-year-old Sias was found guilty in July 2022 of destroying records in a federal investigation and then lying about it to federal investigators who were researching the case.
“The FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were investigating then-Commissioner Sias’ role in expenditures of Richmond County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds,” said U.S. Attorney Jill Steinberg.
Sias was serving as president of the Sandridge Community Assocation and oversaw operations at the Jamestown Community Center, where authorities were called to investigate expenditures.
“Within hours of the FBI agent’s visit, Sias deleted approximately 7,000 relevant files from a laptop in his possession that belonged to the Jamestown Community Center,” said Steinberg. She said Sias later told the agent he had provided all the files that were in his possession related to the investigation. A forensic examination later found evidence of those missing files on Sias’ laptop and he was indicted on two felony charges.
After four days of testimony during Sias’ trial, he was found guilty on both counts. In addition to prison time, Sias was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. He will serve three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term.
“This cover-up was not only a violation of the oath taken by Sias, but a theft of the public’s trust. Public corruption is one of the FBI’s top priorities and we will do everything in our power to pursue officials who abuse their positions,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons showed Sias was booked into FCI Williamsburg in Salters, South Carolina in August, 2023. Now that his sentence has been reduced, his new release date is set for August 18, 2025.
