NASHVILLE — Nearly five years after his arrest in the FBI’s 2005 Tennessee Waltz bribery sting, former state Sen. Ward Crutchfield, D-Chattanooga, again was the center of attention at the state Capitol on Tuesday.
This time, however, the hoopla came from several friendly former legislative colleagues, a one-time staffer and lobbyists who greeted him warmly in his first visit here since resigning his seat in 2007.
“I wanted to renew acquaintances with my old friends,” said Mr. Crutchfield, 81. “I love the legislature.”
Among those greeting Mr. Crutchfield was Sen. Thelma Harper, D-Nashville, who told the former lawmaker, “I miss you.” Mr. Crutchfield once served as the state Senate majority leader.
The political veteran’s half-century political career came to an end as a result of the sting that caught up four then-lawmakers and a lawmaker-turned lobbyist. In the Tennessee Waltz, the FBI set up a front company called E-Cycle Management that offered bribes for government favors.