• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Mayors, sheriffs also had fraudulent liens filed against them, indictment says

Posted at 5:20 pm February 17, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

More public officials, including at least two county mayors and two sheriffs, have been the victims of the allegedly fraudulent liens that led to the indictment announced by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in Nashville on Thursday, after arrests in East Tennessee on Wednesday.

Information about the liens is contained in the 302-count indictment filed in Davidson County on January 20. That indictment came after a one-year investigation by state and federal authorities into fraudulent liens filed by East Tennessee residents. The TBI said 11 people were indicted, and 10 had been arrested as of Thursday afternoon. Seven of those arrested were from Anderson County.

Among the officials that have confirmed that they they were the victims of liens alleged to be fraudulent are Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Roane County Executive Ron Woody, and Anderson County Sheriff Paul White and Roane County Sheriff Jack Stockton.

Oak Ridge Today has already reported on some of the police officers and law enforcement officials and agencies in Oak Ridge and Anderson County that have been named in the $137 million worth of liens filed by Lee Harold Cromwell, who was one of the 10 people arrested Wednesday.

Other victims named in the 302-count indictment that haven’t previously been identified: Don A. Layton, Daryl R. Fansler, Jimmy Jones, Ronald Nathan Murch, and Steve R. Queener.

Some that have been previously identified include James T. Akagi, Dave Clark, Donald R. Elledge, and Roger A. Miller.

Woody said he thinks he has had roughly $120 million worth of liens filed against him, possibly 10 liens of $12 million each. The liens apparently had to do with a change of venue in a court case moved from Knox County to Roane County and heard in Loudon County, Woody said Friday. Woody said he might have been named because Roane County is the seat of the judicial district. Also named as victims of fraudulent liens in the indictments are Loudon County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw and Circuit Court Judge Michael Pemberton.

Woody and Stockton both turned the liens filed against them over to the Roane County attorney.

Burchett’s office and White both declined to comment Friday except to confirm that they had been the victim of fraudulent liens.

You can read the 302-count indictment here: TBI Davidson County Fraudulent Lien Indictment Jan 30 2017.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

See our previous story on the indictment and arrests after the fraudulent lien investigation here.


Do you appreciate this story or our work in general? If so, please consider a monthly subscription to Oak Ridge Today. See our Subscribe page here. Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today.

Copyright 2016 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Anderson County, Government, Knox County, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Roane County, Roane County, State, Tennessee, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Buddy Bradshaw, Daryl R. Fansler, Dave Clark, Davidson County, Don A. Layton, Donald R. Elledge, fraudulent liens, indictment, Jack Stockton, James T. Akagi, Jimmy Jones, Lee Harold Cromwell, Michael Pemberton, Paul White, Roger A. Miller, Ron Woody, Ronald Nathan Murch, Steve R. Queener, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tim Burchett

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Government News

Election is Thursday

The Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections are Thursday. Competitive races include the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, Republican primary for Tennessee House of … [Read More...]

Kairos Power begins construction on demonstration reactor​

Kairos Power has started construction on a test nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge. The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor is the first of its type to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory … [Read More...]

County law director dies at 65

Anderson County Law Director Nicholas “Jay” Yeager, of Clinton, died Friday. He was 65. Yeager was assistant attorney in Anderson County from 2001 to 2006, and he has been law director since then. "Mr. Yeager was … [Read More...]

Outdoor Pool to close for season Aug. 12

Indoor Pool to re-open Monday The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool will closed for the season on Monday, August 12, and the Indoor Pool will re-open Monday, July 29, after being closed for a few months for renovations. The … [Read More...]

Tennis court dances recreate wartime event

Monthly dances by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park recreate the open-air tennis court dances that entertained 75,000 workers and their families in the Secret City during World War II. "Put on your … [Read More...]

More Government

More Police and Fire News

Two fires reported early Friday

Oak Ridge Fire Department firefighters responded to two structure fires early Friday. No one was injured in either fire. The first fire was reported at 12:42 a.m. Friday at 109 Houston Avenue. When they arrived, Oak … [Read More...]

AC man charged with attempted murder after alleged shooting

A 24-year-old Anderson County man was charged with attempted murder Friday after an alleged shooting following an argument in Clinton on Wednesday sent another man to a hospital with a gunshot wound on the right side of … [Read More...]

Blount County man dies in single-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge

A Blount County man died Thursday night in a single-vehicle crash in Oak Ridge. William F. Alldis, 34, of Louisville, Tennessee, was pronounced dead at the crash site, the City of Oak Ridge said in a news … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge announces Independence Day concert, fireworks

The City of Oak Ridge is sponsoring its annual fireworks show to celebrate Independence Day. The display will be held in Alvin K. Bissell Park on July 4, and it is scheduled to begin at dark, around 9:45 p.m. The Oak … [Read More...]

ORFD to unveil Safe Haven Baby Box

The Oak Ridge Fire Department will unveil a new Safe Haven Baby Box on Wednesday, June 12. It will be a place where mothers can safely and anonymously drop off their newborn babies during a crisis, a media advisory … [Read More...]

More Police and Fire

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Search Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today