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Superior court clerks legally pocketing thousands in passport processing fees [Georgia]
AtlantaNewsFirst.com ^ | 20 Dec 2022 | Rachel Polansky

Posted on 12/29/2022 2:00:17 AM PST by blueplum

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A controversial law allowing superior court clerks to personally pocket money when processing passports could draw new scrutiny in next year’s General Assembly.

“Concerned would be a mild word to use,” state Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick (R-Marietta) said....

....An Atlanta News First Investigation uncovered in 2021 alone, Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor raked in more than $220,000, while Fulton Superior Court Clerk Cathelene “Tina” Robinson pocketed more than $360,000 in passport processing fees. Those fees are in addition to their yearly salaries.

All of this is completely legal but it comes as a big surprise to taxpayers....

(Excerpt) Read more at atlantanewsfirst.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; US: Georgia
KEYWORDS: courts; crookedas; dogshindleg; passports; superiorcourt
Do other states have similar laws enabling the pocketing of passport fees? And how does one go about getting a superior court clerk job?
1 posted on 12/29/2022 2:00:17 AM PST by blueplum
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To: blueplum

Must be a “Georgia thing”....but there are Post Office and other Passport Application locations in GA:

Locations:
https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/DefaultForm.aspx

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/apply-in-person.html


2 posted on 12/29/2022 2:08:13 AM PST by Drago
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To: Drago; blueplum

Things must have changed since I got my 1st U.S. Passport (years & years ago at a P.O. Passport Office)(just paid the new/initial passport fee)....the State Dept. now has a $35. “Acceptance Facility” fee...I guess the GA court clerks get most or all of the “Acceptance Facility” fee?!?....shouldn’t GA state taxpayers get some of it? Or use it to offset GA court budgets/salaries? Strange.

Passports fees:
https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/passports/forms-fees/Passport%20Fees%20Chart_TSG_JAN%202022.pdf

(Just “renewals” for me since then)


3 posted on 12/29/2022 2:19:13 AM PST by Drago
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To: blueplum

It’s a black thing, you wouldn’t understand. “Fulton Superior Court Clerk Cathelene “Tina” Robinson pocketed more than $360,000 in passport processing fees”.
Here are her photos>>>>

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Cathelene+%e2%80%9cTina%e2%80%9d+Robinson&form=HDRSC2&first=1&tsc=ImageHoverTitle


4 posted on 12/29/2022 2:26:02 AM PST by dennisw ("You don't have to like it. You just have to do it")
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To: dennisw

She’s one happy camper!


5 posted on 12/29/2022 3:01:11 AM PST by avenir (Information overload = Pattern recognition)
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To: blueplum
Fulton Superior Court Clerk Cathelene “Tina” Robinson pocketed more than $360,000 in passport processing fees

Sounds like she gets the $35 fee even when someone else does the work. That's 40 passports every day.

6 posted on 12/29/2022 3:47:25 AM PST by FoxInSocks ("Hope is not a course of action." — M. O'Neal, USMC)
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To: blueplum

Surprise! Thieves gravitate to government because government dorces people to do things inser threat of force and creates so many opportunities for graft.


7 posted on 12/29/2022 4:27:37 AM PST by joma89 (Buy weapons and ammo, folks, and have the will to use them.)
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To: joma89

It’s where the money is


8 posted on 12/29/2022 4:30:23 AM PST by Roccus (First we beat the Nazis........then we defeated the Soviets....... Now, we are them.)
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To: dennisw

Surprise, surprise, surprise.


9 posted on 12/29/2022 4:56:13 AM PST by vetvetdoug
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To: vetvetdoug

Good God. Is there a single politician in Georgia, black, white, or green, who is not corrupt to the core?

Or are they they only ones stupid or arrogant enough to not even bother covering their tracks?

Corruption seems to be an endemic entitlement across all boundaries, but the Left, especially in Georgia, seems to be more egregiously corrupt and arrogant than officals of any stripe anywhere.

This is one reason I think it is going to be so hard to free our country from the clutches of the Deep State-I think with very few exceptions, all of them are on the gravy train and don’t wish to upset the apple cart.


10 posted on 12/29/2022 5:45:51 AM PST by rlmorel ("If you think tough men are dangerous, just wait until you see what weak men are capable of." JBP)
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To: dennisw

“Tina”


11 posted on 12/29/2022 5:56:57 AM PST by SharpRightTurn (“Giving money & power to government is like giving whiskey & car keys to teenage boys” P.J. O’Rourke)
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To: blueplum

Reparations.
One way or another.


12 posted on 12/29/2022 6:07:05 AM PST by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
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To: rlmorel

all of them are on the gravy train and don’t wish to upset the apple cart.
= = =

I agree.

And I submit this as a “Mixed Metaphor”. I love it.


13 posted on 12/29/2022 6:28:14 AM PST by Scrambler Bob
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To: Scrambler Bob

Hahahahaha...no! I think a mixed metaphor would have been:

“all of them are on the gravy cart and don’t wish to upset the apple train!”


14 posted on 12/29/2022 6:38:15 AM PST by rlmorel ("If you think tough men are dangerous, just wait until you see what weak men are capable of." JBP)
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To: blueplum

“An Atlanta News First Investigation uncovered in 2021 alone, Cobb Superior Court Clerk Connie Taylor raked in more than $220,000, while Fulton Superior Court Clerk Cathelene “Tina” Robinson pocketed more than $360,000 in passport processing fees. Those fees are in addition to their yearly salaries.”

Boy, did I ever go into the wrong profession...


15 posted on 12/29/2022 7:10:02 AM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: avenir

“She’s one happy camper!”

Tina hit the ghetto lottery, KA-CHING!


16 posted on 12/29/2022 9:43:44 AM PST by dennisw ("You don't have to like it. You just have to do it")
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To: blueplum

Would it be racist of me to suspect that Patty Baker, the clerk who puts $10 in a Clerk Support Fund for parties, lunches, gift cards, etc., might be of a lighter persuasion than the others?

Probably.


17 posted on 12/29/2022 10:04:47 AM PST by chaosagent (Remember, no matter how you slice it, forbidden fruit still tastes the sweetest!)
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