Glen Casada & Cade Cothren, Bribery & Kickback Conspiracy, Tennessee 2024

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A brazen scheme to enrich themselves through bribery and kickbacks has landed Tennessee State Representative Glen Casada and his former Chief of Staff Cade Cothren in hot water.

A 20-count indictment unsealed today charges Casada and Cothren with conspiracy to commit theft from programs receiving federal funds, bribery and kickbacks concerning programs receiving federal funds, honest services wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to the indictment, Casada, Cothren, and another conspirator, a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, engaged in a fraudulent scheme to obtain State approval of Phoenix Solutions as a Mailer Program vendor to provide constituent mail services to members of the Tennessee General Assembly.

Casada and Cothren allegedly used a fictitious name, ‘Matthew Phoenix,’ to carry out the fraud and concealed their involvement by submitting sham invoices to the State of Tennessee.

The indictment alleges that Casada and Cothren obtained bribes and kickbacks from Cothren in exchange for securing the approval of Phoenix Solutions as a mailer program vendor.

Cothren operated Phoenix Solutions, and Casada, Cothren, and the other conspirator knew that ‘Matthew Phoenix’ was a fictitious person.

The scheme allegedly netted Phoenix Solutions, a company owned by Casada, and another company owned by the other conspirator, approximately $51,947 in payments from the State in 2020.

Casada and Cothren face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

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