NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former Chief of Staff Cade Cothren were taken into custody Tuesday morning after both were indicted by a federal grand jury for their alleged involvement in a bribery and kickback conspiracy.

Casada, 63, and Cothren, 35, were arrested at their homes by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and will make initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge later Tuesday. Both were charged with conspiracy to commit the following offenses: theft from programs receiving federal funds; bribery and kickbacks concerning programs receiving federal funds; honest services wire fraud; and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The 20-count indictment also charges Casada and Cothren with using a fictitious name to carry out a fraud; theft concerning programs receiving federal funds; eight counts of money laundering; six counts of honest services wire fraud; and two counts of bribery and kickbacks.

According to the indictment, beginning in and around October 2019, Casada, while representing Tennessee House District 63, Cothren, and another conspirator, also a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, engaged in a fraudulent scheme to enrich themselves by exploiting Casada and the other conspirator’s official positions as legislators to obtain State approval of Phoenix Solutions as a Mailer Program vendor to provide constituent mail services to members of the Tennessee General Assembly.

FULL STORY HERE