Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Glen Casada and his chief of staff, Cade Cothren, have been arrested on bribery and conspiracy charges.
The U.S. Attorney for Nashville says both were indicted by a grand jury on Monday. The FBI arrested them at their homes Tuesday morning.
The 20-count indictment, unsealed Tuesday, charges Casada and Cothren with fabricating a fictitious political consultant named “Matthew Phoenix” to set up Phoenix Solutions in late 2019, the year Casada resigned as House Speaker. The company offered campaign services to other legislators.
More: Timeline — The 20 days that ended Glen Casada’s tenure as House Speaker
According to federal prosecutors, the company submitted sham invoices to the state, secretly funneled state money through the company’s bank accounts, and engaged in bribery and kickback schemes.
They are accused of receiving nearly $52,000 from the state mailer program in 2020. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
The indictment also mentions another “conspirator” who is described as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives but is not named and is not part of the indictment.
In March, former state Rep. Robin Smith pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud related to her role convincing legislative leaders to use Phoenix Solutions for constituent mailers. She’s scheduled to be sentenced in October.
In the wake of the arrests, House Speaker Cameron Sexton issued a statement praising the FBI and reiterating that he’d been assisting their investigation since 2019.
“In Tennessee, we will not tolerate public corruption, defrauding our state, or bribery at any level,” Sexton wrote. “Today is a good day for Tennesseans because we did not turn a blind eye on these criminal activities.”
In Tennessee, we will not tolerate public corruption, defrauding our state, or bribery at any level. I commend the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its hard work, diligence, and dedication that resulted in this morning’s arrests.
— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) August 23, 2022
Casada became a Williamson County Commissioner in 1994 and first won his state House seat in 2002. He rose to the role of Republican Majority Leader in 2016 and then House Speaker in 2019, but held the latter position for less than a year.
This year, Casada announced he wouldn’t run again, and then was soundly defeated in May in the race for county clerk in Williamson County.
Both Casada and Cothren pleaded not guilty to 20 counts including wire fraud, bribery and theft of federal funds. They made their first appearance Tuesday afternoon at the federal courthouse in downtown Nashville. Casada is being represented by attorneys Ed Yarbrough and Jonathan Farmer. Cothren is being represented by attorney Cynthia Sherwood.
“As you know, Mr. Cothren pleaded not guilty to all the charges in the indictment. We’re going to let this proceed through the judicial process,” Sherwood told press outside the courtroom. “But he definitely looks forward to being vindicated.”
The Department of Justice in a 26-page indictment claims that Cothren started a phony political consulting business, Phoenix Solutions. His boss, Casada, then used his position as a Republican leader to pressure lawmakers to approve the company as a vendor. In total, they collected close to $160,000 from the state.
The allegations did not come as a shock. In January of 2021, FBI agents searched the offices and homes of Casada and four other Republican lawmakers.
Casada is still serving in the General Assembly. It’s unclear if he will resign.
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