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.

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