JUST IN: Bond Denied for Hart County Commissioner RC Oglesby
No bond for 65-year old Hart County Commissioner RC Oglesby.
Oglesby had his first court appearance in Hart County Magistrate Court this afternoon in Hartwell.
Oglesby, his son Stephens and two other family members were arrested early Thursday on fraud charges under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or RICO Act.
Charges are based on allegations Oglesby and his son, as well as other family members bought EBT cards from legitimate EBT recipients for pennies on the dollar and then used the cards to buy food for the family’s restaurant and the cafeteria they ran at the Hartwell Tenneco plant.
Thursday evening, the Hart County Board of Commissioners held an emergency executive session with County attorney Walter Gordon regarding the food service for the jail inmates.
The County had contracted with Ludi’s Diner, which is owned and operated by RC Oglesby and his family, to provide meals for jail inmates.
Commissioners came out of executive session and voted to immediately remove Ludi’s as the food service for the County Jail.
They also voted to have County Administrator Terrell Partain work with the Jail Administrator to find a new food service vendor.
Early Thursday morning agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation along with Hart County Sheriff’s investigators, the Hartwell Police and agents with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office raided the R&D Car wash on Highway 29, and the cafeteria at the Tenneco plant in Hartwell.
Search warrants were also executed at 414 Winding Way, and 130 North Forest Avenue in Hartwell, the homes of Oglesby and his son.
RC Oglesby is charged with 10 counts of Shoplifting, and 2 counts of Racketeering, Stephen Oglesby is charged with 3 counts of Racketeering, Amy Oglesby is charged with 10 counts of Racketeering, Dasia Oglesby has been charged with 1 count of Racketeering, and Monique Oglesby, is also charged with one count of Racketeering.
R. C. Oglesby has been a Hart County Commissioner for District 1 since 1989.