Tag: Macon

Feds Pay Millions to Subsidize Air Service to Georgia Airport

The Center Square

The federal government pays millions of dollars annually to subsidize commercial air service at the Macon, Georgia, airport.

The Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon receives nearly $4.7 million annually — or more than $19.5 million over four years and two months — as part of the Alternate Essential Air Service program. AEAS is similar to the Essential Air Service program, which Congress created in 1978, except that the money may go to a community instead of directly to an air carrier.

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National Integrated Ballistic Information Network Aids ATF-led Operation United Front in Multiple Convictions

Addison Basurto

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia announced on Thursday that The National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) has aided the undercover law enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation United Front,” in the indictment of a third person that was involved in narcotics distribution and the illegal possession of weapons.

“Addressing violent crime in Middle Georgia means utilizing every asset at our disposal, including high-level ballistics technology like ATF’s NIBIN,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.

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Macon Man Sentenced to Three Years for His Role in Georgia Dogfighting and Drug Ring

Addison Basurto

U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III sentenced Macon native, Shelley Johnson, on Tuesday to 37 months in prison for his participation in a dog-fighting and cocaine distribution ring based in Roberta, Georgia.

“Johnson participated in a brutal criminal enterprise that profited from the suffering of animals,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD)

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Judge Orders Macon Health Clinic to Pay $9.6 Million in Fraud Damages

Addison Basurto

U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III has ordered Middle George Family Rehab (MGFR) healthcare clinic in Macon, Georgia to pay $9,617,679.22 in damages after the District Court for the Middle District of Georgia found the business to be involved in fraudulent TRICARE and Medicaid claims on Thursday.

“The ‘reckless disregard’ displayed by Middle Georgia Family Rehab (MGFR) in its billing should serve as a warning to other health facilities across Georgia—and the nation—that filing improper and false claims will come with hefty consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.

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