Ex-Georgia mayor indicted on over 50 counts of credit card fraud

Visa, Mastercard and American Express logos are seen on credit and debit cards on Nov. 5, 2023. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
WALTON COUNTY, Ga. - A former mayor in North Georgia is in custody facing dozens of charges of credit card fraud.
The Gerogia Bureau of Investigation said 58-year-old McDonough resident Paul Walton turned himself in to the Madison County Sheriff's Office earlier in May.
What we know:
A grand jury indicted the former mayor of Hull, Georgia, on one count of felony theft by taking, one count of violating his oath of office, and 54 counts of financial transaction card fraud.
Officials say the GBI Office of Special Investigations was requested by the Northern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office to investigate Walton in January 2024 after the former official was accused of using his city credit card for personal use.
Walton was the mayor of Hull from 2019 to 2023. In 2022, he ran in the Democratic primary for the District 10 House of Representatives seat, where he lost to Tabitha Johnson-Green.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The Source: Information for this story came from a release by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.