The sheriff of a rural Tennessee county, Paul Thomas, has been indicted on charges including official misconduct, theft, forgery, and computer crimes involving jail inmates under his care, officials said. Thomas allegedly profited illegally from the work of inmates and housed dozens of them in a home outside of the prison without permission. The indictment states that Thomas failed to disclose his ownership of three for-profit companies that provided staffing assistance to local businesses, housed inmates in a transitional home, and transported work-release inmates. He directed over $1.4 million in inmate wage fees to profit one of the companies, Alliance Group. At least 170 inmates were employed by Alliance’s staffing agency while in Thomas’ custody. He received over $181,000 in compensation from Alliance, which was derived from inmate labor. Additionally, Thomas mislead the Tennessee Department of Correction by showing the county jail as the inmate location in the state’s offender management system instead of the transitional home, resulting in the county collecting over $500,000 in reimbursements from the state. Thomas’ lawyer maintains his innocence and is looking forward to defending him in court. This indictment comes over seven years after the previous sheriff of Gibson County pleaded guilty to charges related to fraud, theft, and official misconduct.
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Sheriff in Tennessee indicted for gaining from inmate labor and mismanagement of funds
