- Net worth
- Unknown
- Crimes
- wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy
- Convicted of
- Conspiracy to defraud the United States; honest services wire fraud (four counts); use of a fictitious name to carry out a fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering; money laundering (eight counts)
- Original sentence
- 36 months' imprisonment; one year's supervised release (September 23, 2025)
- Time served
- ~1.5 months before pardon
Background
Glen Casada is a former Republican member of the Tennessee House of Representatives who served as Speaker of the House from January 2019 until his resignation in August 2019, the shortest tenure in modern state history, following scandals that included sexually explicit texts with his chief of staff.
The Case
Casada was convicted in federal court in the Middle District of Tennessee for his role in a scheme to profit from lawmakers’ taxpayer-funded “Postage and Printing Allowance” (about $3,000 per member per year). His chief of staff, Cade Cothren, operating under the fictitious name “Matthew Phoenix,” created Phoenix Solutions in November 2019 as a political mailer company. Casada and Cothren conspired with state Rep. Robin Smith to pressure officials to approve Phoenix Solutions as a vendor and to persuade other lawmakers to use it. The three split $51,947 in profits during 2020. Rep. Smith pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud and testified for the government. At trial in May 2025, Casada was found guilty on 17 of 19 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, honest services wire fraud (four counts), use of a fictitious name to carry out a fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering (eight counts). He was sentenced in September 2025 to 36 months in prison and one year of supervised release. The scheme defrauded taxpayers by diverting public funds meant for legitimate legislative expenses and undermined trust in state government.
The Pardon
On November 7, 2025, President Trump granted Casada a full pardon.