Reduced Sentences Sought for Lasseter, Son

Based on information he has reportedly provided in an ongoing investigation of corruption in Gwinnett County, the son of former Gwinnett County Commissioner Shirley Lasseter is seeking a reduced sentence on bribery and drug trafficking charges, according to an article Tuesday in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Fanning, Lasseter and Carl “Skip” Cain are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in Atlanta Wednesday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr.

Fanning’s attorney William Thomas Jr. filed a motion Monday containing the information. While cooperating with the probe, Fanning provided information to investigators on three targets of the investigation including at least one person who tried to buy Lasseter’s vote, the AJC article stated.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, Fanning could be sentenced to 70 to 87 months in prison. He is seeking an unspecified reduced sentence.

Lasseter pleaded guilty in May to accepting bribes in exchange for a potential favorable vote on a proposed real estate development from an FBI agent posing as a Florida real estate developer. Fanning and Cain pleaded guilty to participating in the bribery scheme and drug trafficking.

Stephen Johnson, Lasseter’s attorney, has asked that her sentence be reduced in a separate court filing to no more than two years, according to the AJC article. She faces a sentence of 46 to 57 months under federal sentencing guidelines.

He noted in the filing that Lasseter was more vulnerable to temptation because she had become widowed and was experiencing financial difficulties and health problems.