From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY —An east Alabama official is facing 20 years in prison after being charged with an ethics violation and other charges.
The Lanett Director of Planning and Development, Tony Chandler, 46, is charged with use of his official position for personal gain, third-degree theft of services, and making a false statement to an employee of the Ethics Commission.
Chandler turned himself in on Friday and was released on a $12,500 bond.
The arrest was made after an investigation by Attorney General Steve Marshall’s Special Prosecutions Division.
“Specifically, the warrant charges that Chandler directed city employees, working on city time, to help him move personal property from one personal residence to another,” the AG’s office said in a press release. “The warrant charges that he then made a false statement about the incident to an employee of the Ethics Commission during the course of its investigation.”
If convicted, Chandler faces a maximum penalty of two to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $30,000 for the ethics charge, which is a class B felony; one to five years and a fine of up to $7,500 for theft of services in the third degree, which is a class D felony; and up to one-year imprisonment and a fine of up to $6,000 for making a false statement to an Ethics employee, a class A misdemeanor.
*A warrant is merely an accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.