Former Loganville city councilman Austin O. Jones pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of possession of child pornography, ending a nearly 10-year legal odyssey that began with a federal raid on his law offices back in 2015.
Jones was sentenced to five years of probation, with the first 12 months under home detention with electronic monitoring, as well as a $100 fine on each count and a JVTA (Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act) assessment of $10,000 between the two fines, as well as $3,000 in court restitution.
Jones has also voluntarily surrendered his license to practice law, in lieu of a formal disbarment proceeding, as a convicted felon cannot practice law in the state of Georgia. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
Jones was first investigated by the FBI in 2015, when the FBI raided his home and office in Loganville, taking computer equipment and electronic devices at the time.
He would not be indicted, however, until 2020, when he was arrested on eight counts of sexual exploitation of children in the Walton County Superior Court.
His case would finally be adjudicated this year in federal court, where he ultimately pled guilty to two charges.
According to court records, the FBI discovered images of child pornography, involving prepubescent minors under the age of 12, on both Jones’ computer and a flash drive, as well as evidence of Jones’ visits to a child pornography website and web searches and history for other child sexual abuse material.
Jones could have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000, but was ultimately sentenced only to the five years or probation.
Jones once served on the Loganville City Council for several years, resigning in 2008 after he moved out of the city limits.
Austin Jones also served on the Georgia State Bar’s Board of Governors, succeeding his father, former Loganville Mayor Mike Jones, after the latter’s death in 2020.
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