Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
3
Jury finds couple guilty of embezzling
MEMPHIS --A federal jury has convicted a Memphis couple of embezzling hundreds of thousands in government dollars from Tennessee's subsidized day-care program.
John and WillieAnn Madison were found guilty Wednesday of all but three of 29 counts in an indictment that included embezzlement, tax evasion, money laundering and making false statements.
''This verdict is a victory for the taxpayers of the state of Tennessee,'' said U.S. Attorney Terry Harris.
U.S. District Judge Bernice Do
ald set sentencing for Sept. 10. John Madison faces a maximum of 32 years in prison and WillieAnn Madison faces a maximum of 153 years in prison. The couple remains free on bail.
Authoritie
s s
id the Madisons stole from Cherokee Children and Famil
y Services, a nonprofit day-care agency. As the state's exclusive day-care broker in Shelby County, Cherokee arranged and monitored taxpayer subsidized day care for poor families.
WillieAnn Madison was Cherokee's director, and her husband, a certified public accountant, kept the books.
Cherokee came under scrutiny in July 1999 when two toddlers died after they were left in a van outside centers controlled by a Cherokee board member and an associate.
The convictions ended a five-year investigation that reached former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist's administration and resulted in as many as 10 state officials' testifying before a federal grand jury.
Interest in the case intensified in May 2000 wh
en The Commercial Appeal reported that WillieAnn Madison had received more than $1 million from taxpayer-funded Cherokee in rental payments on a building she owned and leased to the nonprofit a
genc
y.
T
he payments were based on square footage and Madison claimed her Parkway
Village office building was more than twice its actual size.
Within weeks of receiving the payments, the couple purchased at auction more office buildings valued at $1.1 million.
Defense attorney Mitzi Spell said the Madisons will appeal the convictions.
''The fight isn't over,'' she said. ''We will certainly take an appeal. There are many unresolved issues.''
**************
153 years fo' mammy?!? Damn, you sho nuff gonna be old when you gets out.
T.N.B.
Jury finds couple guilty of embezzling
MEMPHIS --A federal jury has convicted a Memphis couple of embezzling hundreds of thousands in government dollars from Tennessee's subsidized day-care program.
John and WillieAnn Madison were found guilty Wednesday of all but three of 29 counts in an indictment that included embezzlement, tax evasion, money laundering and making false statements.
''This verdict is a victory for the taxpayers of the state of Tennessee,'' said U.S. Attorney Terry Harris.
U.S. District Judge Bernice Do
ald set sentencing for Sept. 10. John Madison faces a maximum of 32 years in prison and WillieAnn Madison faces a maximum of 153 years in prison. The couple remains free on bail.
Authoritie
s s
id the Madisons stole from Cherokee Children and Famil
y Services, a nonprofit day-care agency. As the state's exclusive day-care broker in Shelby County, Cherokee arranged and monitored taxpayer subsidized day care for poor families.
WillieAnn Madison was Cherokee's director, and her husband, a certified public accountant, kept the books.
Cherokee came under scrutiny in July 1999 when two toddlers died after they were left in a van outside centers controlled by a Cherokee board member and an associate.
The convictions ended a five-year investigation that reached former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist's administration and resulted in as many as 10 state officials' testifying before a federal grand jury.
Interest in the case intensified in May 2000 wh
en The Commercial Appeal reported that WillieAnn Madison had received more than $1 million from taxpayer-funded Cherokee in rental payments on a building she owned and leased to the nonprofit a
genc
y.
T
he payments were based on square footage and Madison claimed her Parkway
Village office building was more than twice its actual size.
Within weeks of receiving the payments, the couple purchased at auction more office buildings valued at $1.1 million.
Defense attorney Mitzi Spell said the Madisons will appeal the convictions.
''The fight isn't over,'' she said. ''We will certainly take an appeal. There are many unresolved issues.''
**************
153 years fo' mammy?!? Damn, you sho nuff gonna be old when you gets out.
T.N.B.