39-year-old Marlon Scott Kautz of Atlanta, 30-year-old Savannah Patterson of Savannah, and 42-year-old Adele Maclean of Atlanta were arrested and charged with money laundering and charity fraud.
On Tuesday, three people connected to the violent takeover of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center’s future site were arrested and charged with money laundering and charity fraud.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that alongside the Atlanta Police Department, the three were arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation into the criminal acts undertaken at the site.
39-year-old Marlon Scott Kautz of Atlanta, 30-year-old Savannah Patterson of Savannah, and 42-year-old Adele Maclean of Atlanta were all arrested and charged with money laundering and charity fraud.
While executing a search warrant, authorities discovered evidence linking the suspects to financial crimes.
According to WBS-TV, the raid occurred at the "teardown home," which is painted in rainbow colors and covered in messages, in the Edgewood neighborhood on Wednesday morning.
Kautz, Patterson and Maclean all work for the nonprofit the Atlanta Solidarity Fund, which bails out those arrested at the scene of the public training facility.
The group plans to demonstrate in front of the Dekalb County jail on Wednesday night, advertising the event on Instagram.
In a press release to social media, the group stated, "To date, 42 people have been charged with domestic terrorism and a protestor, Tortuguita, was murdered by Georgia State Patrol. Since this murder, nearly 30 additional people have been charged with domestic terrorism for their alleged participation in protests, and some for simply attending a music festival organized in support of the movement."
"Today’s arrests are the latest escalation in the state’s attacks on the right to protest," the press release later added.
The same day as the music festival, a large group dressed in black bloc attacked the training facility, setting fire to construction equipment. The group also attacked police officers, throwing rocks and fireworks at them.
Local authorities have also discovered deadly traps set up in the park, and closed it off to pedestrian traffic earlier this spring.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Governor Brian Kemp said, "These criminals facilitated and encouraged domestic terrorism with no regard for others, watching as communities faced the destructive consequence of their actions."
"For months, law enforcement on the state and local level have worked diligently to secure the site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in the face of violence from mostly out-of-state activists," read another part of Kemp's statement. "They came to harass police officers and civilians, choosing destruction over legitimate protest."
He added, "Here in Georgia, we DO NOT allow that to happen. Today’s announcement is a reminder that we will track down every member of a criminal organization, from violent foot soldiers to their uncaring leaders. We will not rest until they are arrested, tried, and face punishment."
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