Terry McBurney, 47, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., a Major with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department, was indicted yesterday on federal charges of unlawful procurement of naturalization, making false statements under oath, and wire fraud. The charges stem from allegations that McBurney lied about being a U.S. citizen to land a law enforcement job, climb the ranks, and collect taxpayer-funded pay supplements.
According to the indictment, McBurney was born in Ireland. In September 2010, he applied for a position at the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office and submitted a Department of Homeland Security Form I-9, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. The same lie was repeated on a December 2010 application to the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. At no point was he a naturalized American—yet he forged ahead as if he were.
McBurney obtained POST certification in May 2011, qualifying him for a $600 annual pay supplement. He collected that bonus in 2013, 2015, and 2016. His career advanced fast: promoted to captain in 2013 and then to major on January 18, 2016—positions that explicitly required U.S. citizenship. McBurney wasn’t one. He lied to get in, lied to rise, and cashed in all the way up.
The fraud deepened in 2015. McBurney applied for naturalization in September and sat for an interview in December with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Under oath, he denied ever claiming to be a U.S. citizen in writing or otherwise. That lie was itself a federal crime. On February 24, 2016, he took the oath of allegiance and became a citizen—based on a foundation of deceit.
If convicted, McBurney faces up to 10 years in prison for unlawful procurement of citizenship, up to 5 years for making false statements under oath, and up to 20 years for wire fraud. He also risks a $250,000 fine per count and the potential stripping of the very citizenship he fraudulently obtained. The case was investigated by ICE-Homeland Security Investigations and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda J. Klopf.
An indictment is not a conviction. Terry McBurney is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But the charges expose a breach at the heart of public trust: a top lawman who may have broken the law from day one. The case sends a stark message—no badge is bulletproof when the feds come calling.
Related Federal Cases
- Ex-Sheriff’s Major McBurney Pleads Guilty to Citizenship Fraud · Tennessee
- Rutherford County Sheriff Robert Arnold Pleads Guilty to Corruption · Georgia
- Settlement Reached for Vet Homes’ Rights Violations · Alabama
- Settlement Reached for Tennessee Vet Homes’ Neglect Cases · Mississippi
- Tennessee Vets Left to Rot in Neglect · Mississippi
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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