jaF0
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(CN) — Tennessee’s former speaker of the House was arrested by federal authorities Tuesday and charged with using his elected position in a conspiracy to funnel money to himself and others from a state program that receives federal funds.
State Representative Glen Casada, a Republican, was first elected to represent District 63 south of Nashville in 2003 and briefly served as House speaker for seven months in 2019, until allegations his chief of staff sent sexist and racist text messages became public. Casada still represents the 63rd District in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
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Tuesday's indictment was not a surprise, as the FBI has been investigating the case since late 2020. In early 2021, investigators served search warrants at the homes of all three individuals.
The filing alleges both Smith and Casada knew Cothren’s involvement with Phoenix would not be approved by the legislative fiscal office, so they represented that the company was actually managed by an individual named Matthew Phoenix, supposedly an experienced political consultant who had previously worked for a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, according to a Department of Justice news release.
“In fact, Cothren operated Phoenix Solutions, and Casada, Cothren, and the other conspirator allegedly knew that ‘Matthew Phoenix’ was a fictitious person and secretly profited from the fraudulent venture," the release states.
https://www.courthousenews.com/ex-tennessee-house-speaker-staffer-arrested-on-federal-fraud-charges/
How many more????
State Representative Glen Casada, a Republican, was first elected to represent District 63 south of Nashville in 2003 and briefly served as House speaker for seven months in 2019, until allegations his chief of staff sent sexist and racist text messages became public. Casada still represents the 63rd District in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
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Tuesday's indictment was not a surprise, as the FBI has been investigating the case since late 2020. In early 2021, investigators served search warrants at the homes of all three individuals.
The filing alleges both Smith and Casada knew Cothren’s involvement with Phoenix would not be approved by the legislative fiscal office, so they represented that the company was actually managed by an individual named Matthew Phoenix, supposedly an experienced political consultant who had previously worked for a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, according to a Department of Justice news release.
“In fact, Cothren operated Phoenix Solutions, and Casada, Cothren, and the other conspirator allegedly knew that ‘Matthew Phoenix’ was a fictitious person and secretly profited from the fraudulent venture," the release states.
https://www.courthousenews.com/ex-tennessee-house-speaker-staffer-arrested-on-federal-fraud-charges/
How many more????
