Latest news with #GeorgiaDepartmentofHumanServices
Miami Herald
24-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Shelter worker sexually abusing 13-year-old was fired, re-hired, GA lawsuit says
A Georgia youth shelter employee repeatedly sexually abused a 13-year-old girl while his mother, the shelter's director, and elected officials were aware and worked to cover up the abuse, according to a lawsuit. While working at the Rainbow House in Jonesboro, Caleb Xavier Randolph sexually assaulted the teen in 2022, and was later criminally convicted of abuse charges, according to the lawsuit brought by the girl's mother on July 17. Randolph was fired, then re-hired more than a week later and continued abusing the girl at the shelter affiliated with the Georgia Department of Human Services, a complaint says. The lawsuit argues the department's Division of Family and Children Services, Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley, Randolph's mother, Mia Kimber, and other local leaders are complicit in a cover-up. They are accused of working to hide sexual abuse at the Rainbow House, as detailed in a news release by attorneys for the girl's mother, Roger Soroka, of Soroka & Associates, and Bryan Sutlive, of Sutlive Law. 'This case isn't just about one predator, it's about a network of power that enabled him,' Soroka said in a statement. 'The District Attorney knew, Rainbow House leadership knew, the Department of Family & Children Services knew, and many others knew,' Soroka said. 'They didn't just look the other way…' The girl's mother is suing on 12 causes of action, including negligence and an organized crime claim under Georgia's RICO Act. Mosley, one of the defendants, refuted the claims brought against her in an email to McClatchy News on July 24. The lawsuit says Mosley was the Rainbow House's chairperson when Randolph sexually assaulted the 13-year-old and that she 'failed to properly investigate' reports of sexual abuse. 'I do categorically deny all of the allegations listed in the lawsuit,' Mosley said in a statement. The lawsuit comes more than a year after Randolph, of Macon, pleaded guilty in May 2024 to statutory rape and first-degree sexual contact in connection with another teen in the Rainbow House's care, the Macon Telegraph reported. Randolph, who was 27 at the time, was sentenced to 17 years in prison, followed by 13 years of probation. When Clayton County police arrested Randolph in March 2023, they also arrested Kimber and another shelter employee, according to a news release the police department shared on Facebook. As the Rainbow House's executive director, Kimber and the other employee were accused of failing to report sexual misconduct at the shelter. The employee was later cleared of wrongdoing, according to Soroka and Sutlive. A criminal case against Kimber is pending, court records show. She is charged with cruelty against children. In addition to Mosley, Randolph, Kimber, Clayton County, the Division of Children and Family Services are named as defendants in the lawsuit. A criminal defense attorney who represented Randolph, Kimber's criminal defense attorney, Clayton County and the state Department of Human Services did not return McClatchy News' requests for comment June 24. The teen is placed in the Rainbow House According to the lawsuit, in January 2022, the mother, her then-13-year-old daughter and her two other children moved to the Atlanta metro area. After a few weeks, the mother 'reached out to local ministries for clothing, personal care items, and housing assistance,' as her resources were limited, the complaint says. A member of New Life Church and Community Center, a non-profit based in Decatur, offered to help and told her to meet her at Lithonia Park in DeKalb County in April 2022, according to the filing. The organization runs a 'Hotels to Home' program for families experiencing hardship, the complaint says. But Soroka and Sutlive said the program funnels 'vulnerable families into danger.' New Life Church and Community Center did not immediately respond to McClatchy News' request for comment. The morning of April 26, 2022, after walking her 13-year-old daughter to school, the mother arrived at the park to meet with the church member, according to the complaint, which says she was under the impression the woman was going to help enroll her in the church's program and find temporary housing. But she encountered police instead, the complaint says. 'Without her knowledge or consent, (her daughter) was pulled from school by DFCS and placed into state custody,' Soroka and Sutlive's news release said. The 13-year-old was in DFCS custody in Atlanta for days, while her mother and siblings relocated to a hotel and tried looking for her, according to the lawsuit. '(She) endured starvation, food poisoning, neglect and unfit living conditions while in the care and custody of DFCS,' the complaint says, and was not allowed to shower for days. She stayed 'in the same clothes as the day she was removed from school,' the filing continues. Then she was placed in the Rainbow House in May 2022, the complaint says. According to Soroka and Sutlive, multiple staff members, in addition to Randolph, assaulted her. 'This little girl was a child in crisis, placed in state care to be protected, but instead, was exploited, hidden away, and ignored,' Sutlive said in a statement. Alleged RICO enterprise The lawsuit specifically accuses Kimber, Mosley, Rainbow House and Jeffrey Turner, the former chairman of Clayton County Board of Commissioners who also formerly served as the county's police chief, of racketeering activities, referring to them as RICO defendants. They 'systematically took active steps to conceal reports of child sexual abuse occurring at the Rainbow House,' the complaint says. With the lawsuit, the mother of the teen is seeking a jury trial and more than $1 million in general, special and compensatory damages. 'Rainbow House and multiple people in power preyed on the most vulnerable: children with no stable homes, no consistent records, and often no one looking out for them,' Sutlive said. 'These weren't just isolated failures; this was a deliberate targeting of kids who could disappear without anyone asking questions.'
Axios
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Here are the bills Gov. Brian Kemp signed and vetoed for 2025
While Gov. Brian Kemp has already signed into law the major bills that dominated headlines during this year's legislative session, the status of a few notable pieces of legislation remained up in the air. Why it matters: Wednesday was the deadline for Kemp to sign or veto any remaining legislation that passed before Sine Die. ✅ What Kemp signed HB 123: Helps keep people with intellectual disabilities off death row. SB 244: Allows President Trump and his co-defendants in the Fulton County election interference case to recoup legal fees. HB 296: Requires law enforcement agencies to accept digital driver's licenses during traffic stops. SB 291: Creates Georgia's "America First" speciality license plate. HB 426: Requires nonpartisan elections for magistrate court judges. 🚫 What Kemp vetoed HB 308: Allows judges to require people to install an "intelligent speed assistance device" in cars they used for illegal street racing. HB 433: Gives Georgia Department of Human Services employees the authority to access people's full criminal histories. SB 238: Changes Rockdale County's governing structure from a countywide elected chairperson and two commissioners to five at-large commissioners who choose their own chair. What they're saying: Kemp cautioned state lawmakers to use subpoena powers outlined in Senate Bill 255, another bill the governor signed Wednesday, "judiciously and sparingly." "Americans of all political leanings have lamented the ineffectiveness of the United States Congress, in no small part due to the abundance of politically motivated 'investigations' which only generate sound bites and distract from important legislation," Kemp wrote in the only signing statement. "I sincerely hope that in the future, Georgians do not similarly lament the General Assembly." Catch up quick: Kemp earlier this year signed into law his wide-ranging civil lawsuit reform package, a bill banning transgender student athletes from playing on teams that match their gender identity and a controversial measure aimed at protecting Georgians' religious beliefs.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bill aims to strengthen EBT card security amid rising fraud concerns
The Brief Congressman Dan Goldman is set to introduce the "Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act" to combat rising food stamp fraud. The proposed legislation would mandate enhanced anti-fraud protections for EBT cards. A similar bill did not pass during the last congressional session, but Goldman is hopeful the bill he is working on will have bipartisan support. WOODSTOCK, Ga. - A new bill is set to be drafted in Washington that would require the United States Department of Agriculture to use enhanced anti-fraud protections for EBT cards to combat fraud. SEE ALSO: Metro Atlanta mother claims EBT fraudsters stole food stamps meant to feed her kids Local perspective Woodstock's Michelle Durham is searching for solutions. Three times in five months someone has stolen funds from her EBT card. In total, she has lost $ She uses 900 in food stamp (SNAP benefits) to feed her family of four children and one grandchild. "How did they know my information, my PIN number?" exclaimed Durham. The Georgia Department of Human Services has been warning clients to be vigilant about protecting their card information due to card skimming. "This is something should be done, it's not new technology," said proposed bill author, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman (D) New York District 10. What they're saying Congressman Dan Goldman is a drafting the bill he hopes to introduce within a few months. A similar bill failed during the last congressional session. An attempt to extend the December 2024 deadline where fraud victims could get reimbursed also failed. "It is bipartisan, certainly when you're talking about improving technology for government services and government programs, that in theory is what Elon Musk should bring to the table and what he promised," said U.S. Rep. Goldman. Georgia's Department of Human Services released this statement regarding the state's efforts to enhance EBT card security: "DHS is actively researching additional technology solutions to enhance card security; however, it is important to note that changes like card chipping are not yet possible in Georgia because most vendors' EBT point-of-sale systems do not support chipped cards. While the implementation of chip technology is one of the methods the Department is exploring to combat SNAP fraud, it is not the only one. In our efforts to protect the integrity of the program, we cannot discuss all of our fraud prevention methodologies. However, our plans involve approaches centered around customer education, enhanced card security features, and more aggressive investigation capabilities, among other things." The Source FOX 5's Kevyn Stewart spoke with U.S. Rep. Goldman and Woodstock's Michelle Durham for this article.
