Jury Convicts Ex-Tennessee House Speaker And His Aide In Legislative Mail Scheme | EUROtoday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal jury on Friday convicted a former Tennessee House speaker and his onetime chief of employees in a scheme to win taxpayer-funded mail enterprise from state lawmakers even after scandals drove the 2 out of political energy.

Former Republican Rep. Glen Casada was discovered responsible of all 19 expenses, whereas his then-chief of employees, Cade Cothren, was discovered responsible of 17 of 19 expenses in a public corruption trial that started in late April.

The present House speaker, Cameron Sexton, helped authorities within the case in opposition to his predecessor since taking the job in 2019, he has mentioned. Sexton was among the many lawmakers and staffers who testified to the grand jury.

But Sexton was noticeably absent as a witness after prosecutors mentioned they deliberate for him to testify. The protection sought to attract consideration to a political rivalry between Casada and Sexton. Ultimately, the protection declined to name any witnesses. Neither Casada nor Cothren testified. And protection makes an attempt to debate in entrance of jurors whether or not Sexton wore a wire have been shut down by the decide.

Casada resigned as House speaker in August 2019 after a no-confidence vote from fellow House Republicans attributable to swirling scandals, together with revelations he exchanged sexually specific textual content messages about girls years in the past with Cothren. Not lengthy earlier than that, Cothren additionally left his submit over these texts and racist texts, coupled with an admission he used cocaine inside a legislative workplace constructing when he held a earlier job.

The felony expenses middle on a time after the pair’s political freefall, whereas Casada was nonetheless a sitting lawmaker. The expenses declare Cothren launched Phoenix Solutions with Smith’s and Casada’s data and assist. The trio claimed the agency was run by a “Matthew Phoenix,” as Phoenix Solutions and corporations managed by Casada and then-Rep. Robin Smith acquired roughly $52,000 in 2020 from the state in funds related to the taxpayer-funded mailer program for lawmakers. A “Matthew Phoenix” signature ended up on an IRS tax doc.

Casada and Cothren have been indicted in August 2022 after Smith resigned and pleaded responsible to at least one cost within the Phoenix Solutions scheme. Smith testified for prosecutors for a number of days.

Defense attorneys famous the state obtained the mailings it paid for. They tried to color Smith as untrustworthy and pushed by hopes for a lenient sentence beneath her plea deal.

Smith testified that the objective was to maintain the present House speaker, the legislative administration director and the general public unaware of who was behind Phoenix Solutions as a result of “radioactive” scandal that pushed Casada and Cothren out of energy. The taxpayer-funded mailings for House Republicans have been a means in to develop later to marketing campaign work, she mentioned.

Smith advised fellow lawmakers that Phoenix Solutions was run by professionals with a outstanding political consulting agency who have been uninterested in doing Washington-related work. Matthew Phoenix’s affiliate, Candice, was portrayed by Casada’s then-girlfriend, prosecutors mentioned.

In a recorded name performed for jurors, a fellow Republican, Rep. Ron Gant, feigned curiosity in turning into a shopper and spurred Smith to repeat lies about Phoenix Solutions. Smith mentioned she didn’t know she was being recorded.

In January 2021, FBI brokers searched the properties, legislative places of work, or each, of Casada, Cothren, Smith and different statehouse figures. Smith left a voicemail along with her legal professional once they arrived. But by the point the legal professional referred to as again to inform her to not discuss, she had already lied concerning the scheme to brokers, Smith testified.

The trial’s destiny grew to become shaky when prosecutors didn’t redact a portion of the FBI’s interview with Casada that was then performed for the jury. But the decide dominated in opposition to a protection movement for a mistrial, saying there was different proof that echoed Casada’s mistakenly unredacted feedback — that Sexton would have rejected using Phoenix Solutions if he knew Cothren was concerned.

Casada remained a state consultant till 2022, when he didn’t search reelection.