by: Christopher Seward
A DeKalb County business owner faces federal wire fraud and bribery charges after allegedly offering thousands of dollars to county employees to rezone the area where the owner’s lingerie business is located.
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Jae Jun Bae, owner of Moon Lingerie on Buford Highway in Doraville, on at least two occasions made payments to an undercover agent before being arrested and charged last month.
Efforts to reach Bae, 34, for comment were unsuccessful Wednesday.
If convicted on the most serious charge, wire fraud, Bae could receive up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Prosecutors said Bae purchased her business location, in an area zoned for retail, in August 2012 and then set out to get it rezoned for wholesale operations. In the same month, a city of Doraville employee told authorities Bae offered an envelope of cash ostensibly to have the property’s zoning changed.
This past October, Bae allegedly offered an employee of Doraville’s Community Development Department money to get the zoning designation changed, and that employee also alerted the authorities.
The Community Development employee and an undercover agent met with Bae on Oct. 17 and the owner allegedly agreed to pay about $100,00 for the wholesale rezoning. The price was later renegotiated down to $70,000.
Authorities said Bae paid $5,000 on Oct. 29 and $3,000 the next day after being told the payment would secure the rezoning.
Bae was arrested Nov. 14 and indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of bribery.
This article originally appeared on ajc
