Attorney General Thurbert E. Baker announced today that a jury in Henry County, Georgia deliberated approximately two and one-half hours Friday before finding Jeffrey R. Grant guilty on five felony counts, including three counts of forgery and two counts of theft by deception. Mr. Grant was indicted in 1993 after allegations were made of widespread theft and fraud in middle Georgia's timber industry. Mr. Grant was sentenced by the Honorable Rufe E. McCombs, Senior Superior Court Judge, to five years confinement, followed by two years of probation.

"As I have said many times before, the State of Georgia takes these kinds of crimes very seriously. Anyone who sets out to defraud the citizens of this state and violates Georgia's laws can expect to pay for it," Mr. Baker said. "I am thankful for the excellent work by agents of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the two special assistant attorneys general who presented the case."

Special Assistant Attorneys General Robert Morton of Decatur and Patrick Deering of Atlanta prosecuted the case. Special Agent Doug Carter of the GBI was the case agent.