Glen Casada

Glen Casada served as a Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and as Speaker of the House from 2019 until his resignation later that year. He was convicted at trial in May 2025 on 17 counts including conspiracy to defraud the United States, four counts of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and eight counts of money laundering. The scheme centered on Phoenix Solutions, a political consulting company secretly operated by Casada's former chief of staff Cade Cothren under the alias "Matthew Phoenix." Casada and Cothren exploited Tennessee's legislative constituent mail program — which provides each House member $3,000 annually for constituent mailers — by steering lawmakers' printing and postage business to Phoenix Solutions through deception and fraud. Casada recruited fellow legislators and approved Phoenix Solutions invoices on behalf of the state; in return, Cothren paid him kickbacks. Former state Representative Robin Smith pleaded guilty separately and testified against the pair at trial.