Pat Swindall | |
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 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Elliott H. Levitas |
| Succeeded by | Ben Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patrick Lynn Swindall (1950-10-18)October 18, 1950 Gadsden, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | July 11, 2018(2018-07-11) (aged 67) Johns Creek, Georgia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kimberly Swindall |
| Children | 7 |
| Education | University of Georgia (BA,JD) |
Patrick Lynn Swindall (October 18, 1950 – July 11, 2018) was an American politician, attorney, and businessman who served as aRepublican member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 4th congressional district, based inAtlanta's eastern suburbs, from 1985 to 1989.
Born inGadsden, Alabama, as a youth Swindall worked in and later managed his father Nathan's Atlanta Furniture Store on the corner of Butler (todayJesse Hill Jr. Drive) andDecatur Streets.[1] He earned aB.A. from theUniversity of Georgia in 1972 and obtained hisJ.D. from theUniversity of Georgia School of Law in 1975. After law school he practiced law with Heyman & Sizemore and, in April 1979, at the age of 28, became its youngest partner to that date. He practiced law in Atlanta until December 31, 1983, when he resigned to run for Congress.[2]
In 1984, withRobb Austin as his campaign manager, Swindall defeated five termDemocratic congressmanElliott H. Levitas by six percentage points, an upset election considering Levitas was elected with relative ease since his first election in 1974.[3] He won by a similar margin against actorBen L. Jones in 1986.[4] However, after being indicted for perjury, Swindall lost in a rematch with Jones in 1988 by a 20-point margin.[5]
Swindall voted against theAbandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987.[6] The Act asserts United States title to certain abandoned shipwrecks located on or embedded in submerged lands under state jurisdiction, and transfers title to the respective state, thereby empowering states to manage these cultural and historical resources more efficiently, with the goal of preventingtreasure hunters and salvagers from damaging them. Despite his vote against it, PresidentRonald Reagan signed it into law on April 28, 1988.[7]
In October 1988, Swindall was indicted on ten counts of perjury related to a money laundering scheme. In recorded dealings with an undercoverIRS agent posing as a representative of the Colombiandrug cartel, Swindall was told that the $850,000 loan he was seeking to finish building his luxury home included illegal drug money and that he would be part of an operation to "wash" cash. Swindall proposed that an associate set up a mortgage company to funnel the money through.
During an ensuing investigation into theillegal drug trade, Swindall lied to a federal grand jury about his knowledge that the funds were from a drug trafficking operation, which was refuted by the undercover tapes. While one of the perjury charges was dismissed by District JudgeRichard C. Freeman, the jury convicted Swindall on nine counts and sentenced him to one year in prison and a fine of $30,450.[8][9][10][11] Swindall's friend, CongressmanBarney Frank testified on Swindall's behalf.[12]
On appeal, theEleventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned three of the counts, but theU.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn the remaining six and he began serving his one-year sentence in 1994.[13] He was disbarred by theSupreme Court of Georgia in 1996.[14]
Upon his release from prison on February 9, 1995, Swindall hosted a religious-themed conservative radio show on the Providence Broadcasting Network. His show's motto was "Where religion and politics converge."[15] When the Providence Broadcasting Network ceased operations, Swindall announced that he was going to "pursue a prison ministry."[16] Swindall was the owner of multiple businesses inAtlanta andCollege Park.
In June 2009, aFulton County grand jury indicted Swindall and two of his fired employees for making illegal campaign contributions to Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd. The businessmen were indicted for making false statements because Swindall was the actual source of the contributions not as reported on Sheperd's campaign disclosure forms as coming from other people, including family and friends of the two former employees. In 2011 the charges were reduced from the felony charges to three misdemeanors. Swindall pleaded no contest to two counts of exceeding the maximum allowable campaign contribution and one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and was sentenced one year of probation.[17]
In November 2009, he was involved in a confrontation with former tenants at aflea market location he owned and had formerly leased to them; Swindall left afterCollege Parkcode enforcement officers and police arrived.[18] He wanted to remove the walls that delineate the individual stalls within the flea market. Swindall also wanted to remove other structures belonging to him, but the request was denied by the College Park Police.
Swindall was married to formerDuke University cheerleader Kimberly Schiesser; together they had seven children. During his time in Congress the two were called the "Barbie andKen of Politics".[19]
Swindall died in his sleep on July 11, 2018, at his home inJohns Creek, Georgia, of an undisclosed cause.[1][20] He was 67.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's 4th congressional district 1985–1989 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
