Last Tuesday, the government pressed federal charges against a Judge in Tennessee. He attempted to bribe a woman so she wouldn’t blackmail him. General Sessions Judge Casey Moreland, 59, is being charged with bribery, tampering with a witness and obstruction of justice. He was arrested Tuesday morning and showed up in court as well that same day. U.S. Officer Judge Joe Brown was the federal official appointed to read to Moreland the conceivable punishments that he was facing. One of them consists of him serving a 20-year prison sentence. He is set to be in court Friday for a hearing that will decide if he should stay in custody while he awaits trial.
Crooked appointed official
Casey Moreland has been a judge since 1998. He is now under examination of the FBI after he used his authority as a judge to favor people in cases in exchange for miscellaneous expenses and sexual favors. Allegations listed within police reports reveal that Moreland waived a jail sentence for a man who was the son of a woman he was having intimate affairs with.
The U.S. Attorney’s office also obtained evidence that shows Moreland tried to pay a woman thousands of dollars to drop charges she pressed against him.
A criminal affirmation by FBI Special Agent Mark Shafer provides details into the investigation. They used private sources and refused to disclose any names of the parties involved in the complaint.
A man, who at first misled the FBI about his involvement, claimed he had conspired with Moreland on several occasions.
Caught in the act
Per a sworn statement provided in court, the accomplice said the Moreland was worried that their calls were being observed. To resolve the issue, he got the judge a ‘burner telephone’-a brief cellphone that is regularly connected with criminal action.
On March 11, the man attended a meeting with Moreland. He was still being used as a private source for the FBI. Moreland allegedly met with a female who had open claims out against him. In that meeting, he was recorded handing the woman an affidavit to sign stating that she was making false accusations against him. Along with the paperwork, he gave the woman $5,100.
Investigative reports also acknowledge that Moreland said to the woman, “This right here gets me out of trouble.”
Moreland then proceeded to give the woman an additional $1,000 to sign her statement as it was written and given to her in response to her requested to revise it. The general sessions judge later attempted to plant narcotics on the woman and have her convicted of the crime so she could have a defamation of her character.
Metro Councilman Jeremy Elrod has provided documentation demanding Judge Moreland resign from his position. Mayor Megan Berry also favors the resignation as well. She believes that Casey Moreland’s removal from the General Sessions would be in the best interest of people living in the city of Nashville.
She stated, “Nashville deserves to have absolute trust in our judiciary, and Casey Moreland, based upon the allegations in the federal complaint, seems to have clearly violated that trust.”
Moreland was 1 out of 11 justices in the General Sessions of Nashville. His annual salary was estimated at $170,000 per year.