Judge Rejects Request in Corruption Case Involving Tennessee Politicians
Cynthia Sherwood, the defense attorney for former Tennessee House staffer Kade Koren, had her request turned down by a judge on Wednesday related to a federal corruption case.
A Tennessee panel overseeing disciplinary actions against lawyers has cleared the lawyers who were accused of ethical misconduct. This included meetings with private investigators and a state campaign finance director.
In early July, the State Board of Responsibility notified Nashville Attorney Cynthia Sherwood that it had dismissed a complaint filed against her, concerning financial registration for Tennessee elections.
Sherwood shared a confidential letter about the decision with Lookout, stating, “The decision speaks for itself. The frivolous complaints have been completely dismissed. I can’t speculate on why the Registry and the AG office are reluctant to acknowledge that the complaints against me have been fully rejected.”
She represents Kade Koren, who formerly served as Chief of Staff to Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada. Both Casada and his associate Cothren were convicted of federal bribery and kickback offenses, linked to a covert vendor called Phoenix Solutions.
Casada and Cothren are currently seeking a new trial following their convictions in May.
In September 2024, members of the Registry Committee unanimously informed the Disciplinary Committee that a private investigator for Sherwood had approached Bill Young, the Registry’s Executive Director, at his home to discuss the case. Young previously stated that the Registry Bureau declined to engage with private investigators due to an ongoing lawsuit in Chancery Court. Young is represented by state attorneys in this matter.
Registry members expressed outrage over how the case was handled, seeking discipline against the attorney, who they felt unethically attempted to speak to someone already represented by their own legal team.
Following the Expert Responsibility Committee’s decision in July, two weeks ago, the board prompted the Attorney General’s Office for a legal opinion regarding whether the Disciplinary Committee’s letter should be classified as a public record.
The Registrar opted not to release the letter until the Attorney General’s Office clarified its stance. However, the AG’s office declined to make it public, citing legal protections for its attorneys and clients.
Furthermore, Registry Committee members also chose not to disclose their decision on the case.
Three years prior, the Registry Committee had summoned Koren to discuss the Families Freedom Fund Political Action Committee in connection with a fraud investigation. Koren did not comply, although Casada later attended a meeting, denying any knowledge about his association with the PAC and its operations.
Interestingly, Sydney Friedopfer, an ex-girlfriend of Cothren, testified that Cothren had registered the political action committee in her name and was involved in the 2020 election process.
This PAC reportedly utilized a $7,500 campaign donation from Brandon Crawford, a restaurant owner in North Carolina, who ran an attack ad against current Republican Rep. Rick Tillis, during a campaign involving Republican Rep. Todd Warner from Chapel Hill.
Tillis had previously criticized Casada during his short time as House Speaker, pointing out issues regarding Republican leaders and anonymous Twitter accounts. He resigned from his position in August 2019 amid a scandal involving sexist and racist texts.
The Registration Committee handed the case over to the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office, and after Casada and Koren’s trials concluded, Registration Chairman Tom Lawless urged Young to continue the investigation.
