Jury Selection Begins in Federal Corruption Trial of Glen Casada, Cade Cothren

The federal trial for former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren began this week with jury selection. Both men face 20 charges, including bribery, conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud, related to an alleged scheme in which they funneled taxpayer dollars through a fake political consulting firm called Phoenix Solutions. Prosecutors claim Cothren created the firm under a false identity to obtain contracts for mailer services, with Casada and others helping conceal his involvement, and that the pair received over $35,000 in kickbacks while the company collected about $52,000 in public funds. The indictment alleges that secrecy and fictitious registration in New Mexico helped obscure the scheme, and that another lawmaker, Robin Smith, has pleaded guilty and will testify. Defense attorneys contend that lawmakers received legitimate services and that secrecy alone does not constitute a crime. If convicted, Casada and Cothren could each face up to 20 years in prison.