Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas of Tennessee has been indicted on 22 charges, including official misconduct, for profiting illegally from jail inmates and housing them in a transitional home outside of the prison without permission. The charges include theft, forgery, and computer crimes related to his involvement in three for-profit companies. Thomas allegedly directed over $1.4 million in inmate wage fees to profit these companies, failing to disclose his ownership interest in them. He received more than $181,000 in compensation derived from inmate labor. Investigators also found that 82 inmates were improperly housed in the Orchard House transitional home instead of the Gibson County Jail and charged $40 per day. Thomas deceived the Tennessee Department of Correction by showing the county jail as the inmate location to receive more than $500,000 in reimbursements from the state, which he then required the county to give to Orchard House without proper consent. Thomas’ lawyer stated that the indictment has no evidentiary weight and that Thomas looks forward to defending himself in court. This case follows past legal issues in Gibson County, including a previous sheriff pleading guilty to charges related to fraud, theft, forgery, and drug-related misconduct. Thomas’ case has garnered attention amid ongoing discussions about prison labor practices in the U.S.
Source
Photo credit abcnews.go.com
Sheriff from Tennessee indicted for benefiting from inmate labor and misappropriating funds
