Former House Speaker Glenn Casada’s Legal Troubles Continue
A federal judge denied a request for a new trial on Wednesday for former Tennessee House Speaker Glenn Casada and his former chief of staff, Kade Koren. This came after they were convicted in May on various charges related to fraud and kickbacks. The judge’s decision was made public shortly after they exited the federal courthouse in Nashville.
US District Court Judge Eli Richardson stated that the mishandling of an unedited FBI interview with Casada wasn’t enough grounds for a retrial. The defense claimed that this recording, which was mistakenly played in court, had biased the jury during the four-week trial.
During a phone hearing, Judge Richardson acknowledged the prosecution’s error but concluded that the defense failed to satisfy a necessary five-factor test for granting a new trial.
The recording revealed that Casada stated he was unaware of Koren’s involvement with a vendor named Phoenix Solutions, due to the absence of approved payments. Koren had previously resigned amid scandals involving racist and sexist text messages.
Richardson noted that prosecutors admitted to playing the incorrect recording a day later, and the defense team didn’t recognize the mistake at the time. The judge also mentioned that the evidence provided by the prosecution overwhelmingly supported the need for confidentiality regarding Koren’s identity for the operation to succeed.
Both Casada and Koren were implicated in creating a covert company, Phoenix Solutions, which took advantage of a state mail and printing program designed for House members offering assistance of $3,000 per year. In a significant turn, Casada and former lawmaker Robin Smith pled guilty and testified against the two, revealing details about Phoenix Solutions.
On Tuesday, Judge Richardson dismissed three convictions against Casada and Koren, explaining that prosecutors couldn’t prove they were functioning as government agents. Casada still faces a total of 14 counts remaining in this case.
The judge rescheduled the sentencing hearing to September 16, allowing time for the defense to prepare in light of the dropped charges. Originally, it was set for a Friday. Furthermore, the judge still hasn’t decided whether to allow testimony from an alternate juror who expressed that he would have voted for acquittal.
