articleThe Brief On July 10, President Donald Trump denied a clemency request from former Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Jim Beard, who was convicted of embezzling city funds and falsifying tax records under former Mayor Kasim Reed. President Donald Trump denied clemency on July 10 to former Atlanta Chief Financial Officer Jim Beard, who was convicted of embezzling city funds and falsifying tax records under former Mayor Kasim Reed. The backstory:Beard was one of several Atlanta City Hall officials that were federally investigated under the Reed administration. Beard used city funds to pay for thousands of dollars in personal travel expenses for himself, his family, and his travel companions. While being audited over those claims in 2015, Beard reportedly gave the IRS receipts that he had claimed were personal business expenses.