Burke County Sheriff indicted by federal grand jury

SAVANNAH, Georgia: Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams, 55, of Waynesboro, Georgia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia on five counts of Extortion Under the Color of Official Right and one count of Transfer of a Firearm to a Convicted Felon.

The indictment, returned by the July term of the grand jury, alleges the offenses occurred from August 2021 to April 2022, with the indictment asserting that Williams requested and accepted monetary payments from five individuals in exchange for dismissing pending citations for driving under the influence. Additionally, the indictment charges that in January 2023, Williams provided a firearm to an individual previously convicted of a felony.

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The extortion charges each carry a statutory penalty upon conviction of up to 20 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and up to three years of supervised release upon completion of any prison term. The firearms charge carries a statutory penalty upon conviction of up to 15 years in prison, along with substantial financial penalties and up to three years of supervised release.

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tara M. Lyons and Timothy P. Dean.