COBB COUNTY, Ga. — John Cristadoro, vice chair of the Cobb County School Board, is facing backlash after being named in a civil RICO lawsuit, prompting calls for his resignation from concerned parents.
The lawsuit accuses Cristadoro and his advertising company of theft by deception, alleging that they misused $250,000 paid by an insurance company for personal expenses instead of advertising products.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell says more than 300 people signed an online petition calling on Cristadoro to step down.
Heather Tolley-Bauer, co-founder of Watching the Funds Cobb, said, “Our board members have access to billions of tax dollars here in Cobb County. ... We need to be able to trust that they are operating in our best interest.”
A Fulton County judge denied a request to seal the settlement terms of a civil lawsuit that accuses Cristadoro and his advertising company of civil RICO, of theft by deception and more.
Cristadoro’s attorney, Caitlyn Powers, argued, “We have requested these redactions out of concerns for my client’s privacy. ... We believe that this is a tactic that’s being used as a measure for political gain rather than a good faith attempt to have access to public record.”
“I do not find that the harm otherwise resulting to the privacy of your client outweighs the public interest,” Judge Wesley Tailor said.
This decision was seen as a win for transparency by Heather Tolley-Bauer and other parents who filed a motion to unseal the agreement.
The settlement terms reveal that Cristadoro agreed to repay the $250,000 to the insurance company.
A statement from Cristadoro says in part: “Of course I’m not surprised, manufacturing outrage is what political activists do. I am proud of the business we built, and after navigating Covid’s impact on our business, I’m happy to negotiate settlements with partners, including this one.”
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