The Tennessee House Republican Caucus in the General Assembly released a statement which said the Friday guilty verdict handed to former House Speaker Glen Casada, and his former aide Cade Cothren, “reaffirms the principle that public office is a sacred trust, not a license for personal gain or abuse of power.”
Casada and Cothren were convicted on Friday on 17 counts in the trial over their role in the Phoenix Solutions business which prosecutors successfully argued constituted fraud, as Cothren created the entity under a the fictitious name, Matthew Phoenix, in a bid to hide his and Casada’s involvement in the scheme. The business then solicited opportunities to create and deliver mail advertisements to members of the General Assembly, where they received taxpayer money for the services rendered.
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