No Decision on Cordell's Mental Competency

Rome News-Tribune reports former Cartersville mayoral candidate Greg Cordell attempted to fire his attorney during his cross examination of a witness and even held up the "you're fired" note for the gallery to see.

The newspaper said a psychologist who interviewed Cordell for several hours testified, saying the hairdresser turned real estate company owner “maintained the mental presence to assist council.”

Cordell faces not only federal charges of bank fraud, money laundering and loan application fraud, but also state charges of arson and fraud. The judge declined to allow Cordell to fire his attorney and gave both sides 10 days to submit written arguments, according to the newspaper.

The mental competency hearing comes about after federal trials set for September and December were postponed following Cordell's alleged statements about harming a federal judge and others involved in the prosecution.

Read more about Cordell's arrest from here. In February 2009, Cordell was indicted in the federal case in and he was re-indicted in January 2010. Cordell faces bank fraud, loan application fraud and money laundering charges in federal court, according to the local newspaper.

Following the re-indictment, prosecutors dismissed half the charges against Cordell. Read that story from The Daily Tribune News here.

The current federal indictment alleges Cordell defrauded two banks to obtain loans for the purchase of the land at 179 Old Mill Road in Cartersville and the 8,600-square-foot home, and to later refinance the $2.2-million house to buy a Chevrolet Suburban, Porsche 911 and Piper Seneca II airplane. Prosecutors say Cordell falsely inflated his annual income, said he owned assets he did not have and concealed liabilities in financial disclosure documents in 2003 and 2004, all before the home burned on Sept. 1, 2004.

In April 2008, Cordell and his wife, Alyssa, asked a jury summoned in a federal civil case to award them a payout from the company that insured the home that became the site of one of the biggest residential fires in Cartersville’s history. During the civil proceeding, insurance company attorneys argued Cordell was unable to make mortgage payments and hired someone to burn the home so he could collect an insurance settlement.

Cordell lost the case, the jury finding he either procured the arson — he and insurance company attorneys agreed that was the cause of the fire — or committed fraud during the claim process, or both.

Later in 2008, a Bartow County grand jury in its August term indicted Cordell on state charges stemming from the fire. He still faces four charges brought by the Georgia Office of the Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner — two counts of arson, residential mortgage fraud and insurance fraud — but prosecuting attorneys involved with the case have indicted they would await the outcome of the federal proceeding before moving forward with a state trial.

That indictment alleges Cordell was responsible for the arson and subsequently filed fraudulent mortgage and insurance claims related to the blaze that also led to problems within the Cartersville Fire Department — three firefighters were disciplined for mishandling the investigation.

Shortly before the late-night fire — witnesses reported hearing popping sounds similar to fire crackers or munitions exploding — Cordell was set to appear before the Cartersville City Council to request the structure be used for professional services. At that time he had already filed suit against the city for turning down his original request.

In the civil trial, insurance company attorneys had argued Cordell could not rezone or sell the home, and decided the refinance the property, burn it and collect an insurance settlement. Evidence introduced during the proceeding was apparently used against Cordell in the federal and state criminal cases.

Cordell in 2005 challenged former Cartersville mayor Mike Fields, then in his second term, for the post.