NASHVILLE — Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court Tuesday, hours after both men were arrested under a federal grand jury’s 20-count indictment on charges of bribery, kickbacks and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The alleged scheme involved taxpayer-funded constituent mail. The investigation erupted publicly in January 2021 when the FBI raided the homes of Casada, Cothren and then-Rep. Robin Smith, a Hixson Republican and political consultant who were all part of the scheme, the federal government says.
In March, it resulted in a guilty plea on a single count of wire fraud from Smith, who stepped down. She agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors as part of her plea agreement.
While Smith is not mentioned by name in the charging document, actions by “Individual 4” match Smith’s activity and publicly known interactions with Sante Fe, New Mexico-based Phoenix Solutions LLC, which was created by Cothren and was the nexus of the alleged scheme.
Early Tuesday morning, Casada, 63, a Franklin Republican, and Cothren, 35, of Nashville, were arrested by FBI agents. They entered U.S. Magistrate Judge Alistair E. Newborn’s courtroom wearing hand and leg restraints, which were removed once they were in the courtroom.