By Bill Rankin
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The former deputy police chief of DeKalb County declared that “no one should sell their badge” and admitted he’d done just that.
Donald Frank was sentenced Thursday to three years and seven months in prison for conspiring to take bribes from an Atlanta businessman. But before that happened, U.S. District Judge Bill Duffey had plenty to say, and Frank didn’t disagree with any of it.
Duffey reminded Frank of the day he took his oath of office and swore to uphold the law. Over the next two decades, as Frank rose through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant to head of the county’s homeland security division and finally to deputy chief, there were many young officers who looked up to Frank as an example, the judge said.
“You were in a unique position to have a positive influence, not only in the police department but in your community,” Duffey said. “It’s a position you uniquely abused.”
As he spoke, Duffey looked down at Frank, who was in a wheelchair because of injuries from a motorcycle accident. All the while, Frank kept his gaze on Duffey, never looking away.
Every time the judge made a point, such as when he said, “You know this is serious. You know you have to be held accountable,” Frank nodded his head in agreement.
Earlier Thursday, Duffey sentenced businessman Amin Budhwani to 20 months in prison. Budhwani, who owned gas stations and convenience stores, pleaded guilty to bribing Frank and former DeKalb Police Lt. Willie Daren Durrett, who will be sentenced Friday.
Budhwani wined and dined Frank at fine restaurants and strip clubs, gave him thousands of dollars in payoffs and bankrolled trips to casinos. In return, Frank made threatening calls to Budhwani’s mistress at the businessman’s behest, strong-armed Budhwani’s employees into paying back money they owed, and got DeKalb police to follow one of Budhwani’s business partners to make him feel so threatened he’d want to leave the country, prosecutors said.
Frank, a former U.S. Marine who once headed former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones’ security detail, received leniency for testifying against Durrett at a trial in July. A number of former colleagues, friends and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., who first got to know Frank while serving as a DeKalb magistrate judge, wrote letters to Duffey asking for mercy.
Duffey told Frank that his acts will make people wonder whether police officers can be trusted. He sentenced Frank to serve 100 hours of community service after he is released from prison and asked him to go out into the community, tell his story and accept responsibility for what he’d done.
“No one can punish me more than I’ve already punished myself,” Frank, 49, told Duffey. “I wholly recognize my unbelievable wrongdoings.”
Donald Frank was sentenced Thursday to three years and seven months in prison for conspiring to take bribes from an Atlanta businessman. But before that happened, U.S. District Judge Bill Duffey had plenty to say, and Frank didn’t disagree with any of it.
Duffey reminded Frank of the day he took his oath of office and swore to uphold the law. Over the next two decades, as Frank rose through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant to head of the county’s homeland security division and finally to deputy chief, there were many young officers who looked up to Frank as an example, the judge said.
“You were in a unique position to have a positive influence, not only in the police department but in your community,” Duffey said. “It’s a position you uniquely abused.”
As he spoke, Duffey looked down at Frank, who was in a wheelchair because of injuries from a motorcycle accident. All the while, Frank kept his gaze on Duffey, never looking away.
Every time the judge made a point, such as when he said, “You know this is serious. You know you have to be held accountable,” Frank nodded his head in agreement.
Earlier Thursday, Duffey sentenced businessman Amin Budhwani to 20 months in prison. Budhwani, who owned gas stations and convenience stores, pleaded guilty to bribing Frank and former DeKalb Police Lt. Willie Daren Durrett, who will be sentenced Friday.
Budhwani wined and dined Frank at fine restaurants and strip clubs, gave him thousands of dollars in payoffs and bankrolled trips to casinos. In return, Frank made threatening calls to Budhwani’s mistress at the businessman’s behest, strong-armed Budhwani’s employees into paying back money they owed, and got DeKalb police to follow one of Budhwani’s business partners to make him feel so threatened he’d want to leave the country, prosecutors said.
Frank, a former U.S. Marine who once headed former DeKalb CEO Vernon Jones’ security detail, received leniency for testifying against Durrett at a trial in July. A number of former colleagues, friends and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., who first got to know Frank while serving as a DeKalb magistrate judge, wrote letters to Duffey asking for mercy.
Duffey told Frank that his acts will make people wonder whether police officers can be trusted. He sentenced Frank to serve 100 hours of community service after he is released from prison and asked him to go out into the community, tell his story and accept responsibility for what he’d done.
“No one can punish me more than I’ve already punished myself,” Frank, 49, told Duffey. “I wholly recognize my unbelievable wrongdoings.”
14 comments:
Don Frank....
Remember when I spoke to you in front of the old 34 and told you "dont forget who you are, what you are, and where you came from?"
We are both former US Marines.
We were both DeKalb County Police Officers and supervisors.
We both worked the mean streets in the same area of the county on the same shift.
We fought and chased the same criminals.
We both ate the same junk food and drove the same patrol car.
If DeKalb would have mandated it we would have been partners in the same patrol car.
I always thought the world of you but I could tell when VJ put you in his pocket, and you went over to the other side.
I could tell when farley took over center pct and you were up there. Remember what you said LOUDLY so everone could hear?
All I want from you is for you to explain to me why you did this. Was it the money? Desire for power and control? Some longing for greater self esteem? More women? You hurt us all Don, along with the other bad cops and elected officials who came to power then. I wonder if you even know how much you did.
Also, I am enjoying the hell out of my retirement!
SURELY this has led federal prosecutors to Vermon Jones.
I'm so glad I'm gone from that crazy ass place I could crap a rose garden.
Good deal!!!!
To the Judge. Your speech to Frank was off the mark sir. No one looked up to that POS. We saw him for what he was a PERP with a badge. Vernon Jones should be serving time right along with him...They could be cell buddies of the personal type.....Wish he was serving more time and not in a Federal joint....
VJ said
Free like OJ all day.
Read the story in the AJC, how three sovereign citizens moved into vacant homes that did not belong to them. The three admitted guilt at the trial and were found not guilty by a jury of their peers. This will open the floodgates for anyone who wants to move into a vacant house that doesn't belong to them. Only in DeKalb can a perversion of this kind of justice occur. Last week a jury gave that turd that killed Barker and Bryant a life sentence.
Makes you wonder if there will be a conviction for Andrea Sneiderman. The only justice in DeKalb comes from plea bargains and then it's non-reporting probation.
Frank was the biggest piece of S**t even when he was a Sgt....he proved it again at Homeland...when he cussed me as a Sgt. & then as a Major....on extra jobs at Wal_mart..all he did was chase women & when to ask to help alittle...he would always turn his back and reply..."nope..below my paygrade to help out"!!..never forgot those words...not once..not even twice......
You.....I hope you get what you deserve in prison...I would not urinate on you and I was the last person on earth....unless I was extremely hungover and still urinating alcohol.....all the so-called words of wisdom.....I hope you rot in hell...
By the way.....you still working at Maxey Price Chevy???....Never forget the day in Krogers when you threatened me infront of my wife....oh..that's right....you did not know I was DKPD....
I hope you get what you deserve in prison.....you gave this countya tremindous black eye!!!...
I wonder if this will make the supervisors and officers working for drug cartel owned night clubs and running protection for them think twice.....na...not in Dekalb!
Don Frank = Douchebag. Always was one from the day he got out of the academy. How can I sexually harrass this ho and get away with it? seemed to be his driving inspiration. Worthless POS who got only half of what he deserved. Hope he has a chance to read this before he goes to jail so he can see how everyone thinks he is a piece of crap and he can rot in jail for the next 3+ years knowing what a piece of garbage he is. Hope when he gets out that every DKPD officer that encounters him will charge him with everything they can think of.
Is Bodwhani Cynthia McKinney's old boyfriend? A friend attended a McKinney to do years ago, and someone that was savvy pointed out a middle eastern gas station owner that McKinney was seeing.
Was wondering if Bodwhani might be the person that was pointed
out. Anybody know?
I love this man and he is everything to me.
Ditto. Totally
Yall talking all that noise...Frank to be released soon.
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