NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The personal bank records for Cade Cothren — the aide to former House Speaker Glen Casada — will not be used as part of a public corruption trial against the duo.
Casada, 65, and Cothren, 38, are charged in a 20-count indictment that accuses them of engaging in a bribery and kickback scheme in conjunction with a deal to provide state-funded constituent mailing services for members of the House Republican Caucus.
“It’s undisputed that Cade Cothren ran Phoenix Solutions and made money off of it. Normal expenditures are not relevant to the trial," Judge Eli Richardson said.
However, the prosecution wanted to show that Cothren's lifestyle changed based off the money they made, which was about $50,000.
Judge Richardson said his mind could change on the topic if testimony from witnesses suddenly made those records relevant.
Meanwhile — while the main jury of 12 in this case has been selected — the court brought in a second jury pool to select the alternates. That process is still ongoing.
It's not clear whether opening statements will happen on Wednesday.
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