BOSTON — More than $1 million in cash. Stuffed into safe deposit boxes. Filled to the brim with wads of $100s, $50s, $20s ...

The money was seized this week by federal authorities as part of their investigation into John George Jr., the disgraced former state representative and selectman from Dartmouth, who once represented the 9th Bristol District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

The 69-year-old Democrat was found guilty in April of embezzling federal funds from Union Street Bus Company – the taxpayer-subsidized bus company he owned – and using the money to benefit his personal farm in Dartmouth, the coastal Bristol County town just west of New Bedford.

George was sentenced to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $688,772 in restitution to the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, the public bus system that George's bus company was contracted to operate, providing service to New Bedford and Fall River and several other South Coast communities. George also was ordered to forfeit an additional $1.38 million to the federal government.

Prior to his July sentencing, George was required to disclose his financial status in federal court, where he claimed liquid assets of only around $188,000. Sensing George was holding out on them, federal authorities obtained search-and-seizure warrants to go after his concealed assets. That led to this week's discovery of the safe deposit boxes containing over a $1 million in small bundles of cash.