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Brooks Blitch III, a former judge who was one of Clinch County’s most powerful political figures, plead guilty in federal court in Macon, Georgia to a fraud charge, according to court documents.
Blitch stepped down as chief judge of the Alapaha Judicial Circuit in South Georgia in June 2008, a month before he was indicted on sweeping federal corruption and conspiracy charges.
He was accused of fixing cases and authorizing illegal payments to county officials.
At that time, the state Judicial Qualifications Commission had charged Blitch with 12 instances of misconduct.