Chief U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock overruled a magistrate judge and ordered Adrian Lemoyne Lacey, 45, detained after agreeing with prosecutors that he was aLacey appealed, and the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Beaverstock failed to detail his reasoning in writing. The appeals court ordered the judge to do so.
“Although the district court did enter a written order in this case, the order failed to provide sufficient ‘written factual findings and written reasons’ supporting its decision,” a three-judge panel wrote. Lacey stands accused of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to defraud COVID-19 relief programs – while he was in prison on unrelated charges.
Co-defendant Danielle Catrice Vines pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge earlier this month. Lacey and four other co-defendants are scheduled to go on trial Oct. 30.