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Cade Cothren, former chief of staff for Tennessee's then-Speaker of the House Glen Casada, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison, one year of probation and a $25,000 fine this week for his role in the infamous Phoenix Solutions kickback scheme.

In a lengthy hearing on Tuesday, District Judge Eli Richardson extensively weighed the prosecution’s request for more than five years of prison and an appeal by the defense to skip jail time altogether, landing on a sort of middle-ground punishment in the first sentencing related to the scheme.

After more

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