Kasim Reed’s former deputy chief of staff pleads guilty to accepting bribes

ATLANTA — A former deputy chief of staff for former Mayor Kasim Reed has pleaded guilty to acceptingbribes.

The feds last week charged Evelyn Katrina Taylor-Parks with conspiring to accept bribe payments while serving as the Reed’s deputy chief of staff.

“As the Deputy Chief of Staff, the City of Atlanta and its citizens placed immeasurable trust in Parks to act in the best interests of the city,” U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak said in a news release. “Public officials have a responsibility to lead with integrity. Regrettably, Parks allegedly exchanged the power and trust given to her for bribe money paid by a city contractor.”

According to ABC News:

Federal prosecutors say Parks conspired from 2011 to February 2014 to accept bribes from a city vendor. They say she accepted thousands of dollars and the vendor received tens of thousands of dollars for city contract work in return.

Taylor-Parks’ is the latest in an ongoing scandal that has engulfed Atlanta’s city hall.