NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's a tale of two cases that has one Metro Council member questioning whether Nashville DA Glenn Funk has compromised his office.
Funk is prosecuting a woman who allegedly got TennCare benefits she wasn't supposed to receive.
At the same time, he faces questions about how he got state health insurance for himself and his family.
"He is an attorney, he knows the law, and he should know the law better than a lot of attorneys," said Metro Council member Phil Claiborne in an interview with NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
Claiborne just sent a letter to Funk, questioning whether the area's top prosecutor compromised his office by getting a friend to create a state job for him last summer, while he waited to take office, all to help boost his pension. (Read the letter here:)
Our investigation also discovered that Funk and his family got state insurance for two months -- even though he was just working part time and not eligible for health benefits.
"How does that play out then when he is prosecuting somebody who perhaps is doing something very similar to what he has done?" Claiborne asked.
In fact, our investigation discovered that Funk is currently prosecuting a Davidson County woman for TennCare fraud.
According to a news release, Herendira Gonzalez Morales was "receiving healthcare benefits through the state's healthcare insurance even though she was not eligible for benefits." (Read the news release here.)
We showed the case to Claiborne.
"In one sense, he's doing something very similiar to what he is prosecuting this young lady for doing -- taking insurance coverage that he wasn't really allowed to take," the Metro Council member said.
After an interview last month, the Nashville DA declined our request for a second interview to discuss his health insurance.
But in an email, the veteran lawyer claimed that officials at the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference -- where he got the part-time job -- told him that it was "mandatory" for him to sign up for insurance.
"For the months of July and August, I paid a total of approximately $600 in premiums," Funk wrote. "My family's claims during those months cost the insurance provider approximately $87.
He added that he would reimburse the state "if the policies of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference were incorrect."
"That calls his judgment into question," Claiborne said.
Should he resign?
"I think he should do what is right."
As for that letter of rebuke from the Council members, all that Funk had to say is that he's invited them to meet to discuss their concerns.
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