Former Tennessee Representative Sentenced to Prison

NASHVILLE — Six years after being bounced from the Tennessee House speakership, former Rep. Glen Casada was sentenced Tuesday to 36 months in prison for his role in a kickback scheme.

U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson meted out the punishment to Casada on 14 counts of fraud, bribery, theft, conspiracy and money laundering in connection with a shell company called Phoenix Solutions run by his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who was sentenced to 30 months last week.

Casada also must pay a $30,000 fine and remain on probation for one year once he serves his time. Defense attorneys said they will appeal the case to a higher court.

Federal prosecutors asked for a five-year sentence and $50,000 fine, pointing out that when FBI agents confronted Casada, he lied about his involvement.

Attorneys for Casada and Cothren requested a mistrial during their four-week trial that stretched from mid-April into May after prosecutors inadvertently played an unredacted recording of an FBI interview with Casada that incriminated Cothren. They also sought a new trial just before sentencing, but Richardson denied the request.

Casada and Cothren were convicted of setting up the secret company that tapped into the state’s postage and printing program that provides House members $3,000 a year for constituent mailers. Casada and former Rep. Robin Smith, who pleaded guilty and testified against the pair, steered lawmakers’ business to Phoenix Solutions, which was secretly run by Cothren with the front name of “Matthew Phoenix.”

Casada’s attorneys argued Tuesday that he was merely trying to start a new business, Right Way Consulting, that caught the eye of federal investigators.

Richardson acquitted Casada and Cothren of three counts of fraudulently obtaining state property because the prosecution was unable to prove they were agents of the state.

Cothren resigned from his chief of staff post in early 2019 amid a racist and sexist texting scandal. Casada stepped down from the speaker’s post following a no-confidence vote spurred by heavy-handed leadership and the scandal surrounding Cothren.

He remained in the General Assembly for one more term, though, when he got involved with Cothren and Smith in the Phoenix Solutions scheme. The trio tried to conceal Cothren’s identity because of his resignation and direct business to Phoenix Solutions. In turn, they received money from the business in the form of kickbacks, according to federal prosecutors.

Casada, a Republican, was first elected to the Tennessee Legislature in a 2001 special election after serving as a Williamson County commissioner. He rose through the ranks of House Leadership, serving as House Majority Leader — a role in which he raised money for and supported GOP candidates across the state — before his election as House Speaker in January 2019. After a no-confidence vote from the House Republican Caucus, he stepped down as speaker in August 2019, giving him the shortest tenure of a Tennessee House Speaker.

Casada’s legal team requested that Federal Judge Eli Richardson allow Casada to remain free on bond while his case goes to appeal. Failing approval from Richardson, Casada is slated to report to prison November 21.

The original story was published on  https://tennesseelookout.com