ATF raids business of man linked to Burke County sheriff

Lina PortmanMay 31, 2024

17 1 minute read

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The business used as the Burke County Sheriff's Office auto shop was raided by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.es.

Last year, the I-TEAM investigated ties between Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams and business owner Daniel Cates.

Cates Firestone had previously been at the center of a federal investigation.

Cates and Grady Brandon Mobley pleaded guilty in connection with a decades-long illegal gambling operation – in which hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings were illegally funneled through businesses, including $250,000 through Cates Firestone.

Cates was sentenced to three years probation. Mobley was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution.

Court records show Mobley violated his probation on May 2 for consumption and possession of alcohol – and was arrested.

Williams spoke as a character witness during Cates' sentencing for his 2021 federal crime.

The I-TEAM obtained federal court documents and discovered that Williams was a character witness for Mobley, pushing for a lesser sentence and calling him a “model citizen.”

Campaign records show that the Mobley and Cates families contributed greatly to Williams' campaign for sheriff.

The United States Probation Services and ATF conducted a search of Cates' residence in Burke County and Cates Firestone, 508 W. Sixth St. in Waynesboro on May 29.

Authorities have not released information about what they were looking for in the recent ATF raid.

But a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office said Cates was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court on Wednesday for a probation revocation hearing.