Georgia Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker announced today that a grand jury in Tift County handed down a two-count indictment on Monday charging Jerry W. Hope of Lamar County, Georgia, with bribery and violation of his oath of office. Mr. Hope was employed as an investigator with the Securities Division of the Secretary of State's Office at the time the alleged criminal activities occurred. The indictment charges that he offered to provide the target of a major federal securities investigation information and influence in the outcome of the investigation in exchange for $150,000.00. The Secretary of State terminated Mr. Hope's employment shortly after the discovery of the alleged bribery.

The indictment resulted from a joint investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Secretary of State, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.