PINEVIEW, Ga. — The mayor of the City of Pineview is accused of stealing nearly $65,000 from the small Wilcox County city of fewer than 500 residents, the mayor's arrest warrant shows.
The newly obtained documents offer the first glimpse at the alleged scheme that has landed the mayor in the middle of a 75-count theft case.
Brandon Holt, 34, was arrested last Monday and booked into the Wilcox County jail after the county's sheriff, Steve Mauldin, and District Attorney Brad Rigby asked the Georgia Bureau investigation to look into possible theft of city funds.
Holt was later released on bond.
The GBI announced the arrest in a press release on Monday, but it did not include any details about how the theft occurred and how much money Holt is believed to have taken.
But now, the arrest warrant accuses Holt of siphoning $64,455 from the city's general account over a nearly three-month period.
Between June 26 to Oct. 11, 2023, the arrest warrant says Holt made 75 transactions through the mobile payment app Cash App, sending funds from the city of Pineveiw's general account and funneling them into his own personal bank account.
Mauldin and Rigby asked the GBI to investigate Holt on Oct. 20, only nine days after the last Cash App transaction is believed to have been made.
After the GBI's investigation, Holt was charged with 75 counts of theft by taking, corresponding to each alleged Cash App transaction.
But this is not the first time the 34-year-old mayor has been charged in a theft investigation.
Back in 2022, Holt was arrested in Bibb County on two counts of felony theft by deception charges along with nine counts of financial identity fraud.
According to an indictment in Bibb County Superior Court, Holt is accused of "fraudulently" using the account number of a Macon construction company Macon Asphalt and its owner, Willy Buckland, to send funds to his William & Fudge and Bridgecrest Financial accounts.
Both those companies provide loan services, according to their websites.
The indictment claims Holt used the account numbers for Macon Asphalt to steal $22,196 from the company. The indictment also shows that the alleged thefts date back to transactions from 2018.
According to the filings, Holt has pleaded not guilty to these charges and the case appears set to go to trial.
The GBI says their investigation into Holt's accused thefts in Pineview is still ongoing.
If you have any information, you are asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Perry at 478-987-4545.
The GBI also accepts anonymous tips. You can call 1-800-587-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.