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Former Rhea County executive pleads for leniency ahead of Thursday sentencing hearing

From NewsChannel 9… Former Rhea County Executive George Thacker, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges, has writte

From NewsChannel 9…

Former Rhea County Executive George Thacker, who earlier this year pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges, has written a letter asking a judge for leniency when he is sentenced in federal court in Chattanooga on Thursday.

Earlier this year, Thacker pleaded guilty to lining his pockets with loans under the CARES Act and using them to invest in cryptocurrency. He resigned as Rhea County Executive after the plea.

The CARES Act was a federal law enacted in March of 2020 designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who were suffering from the economic effects of COVID-19.

Thacker applied for and got $650,000 dollars in CARES funding and put it into a personal Coinbase account, using it to buy Bitcoin, Ether, and other cryptocurrency.

The documents says Thacker was going to use the funding to help pay the salaries of Thacker Corporation employees.

Thacker attorney Lee Davis told us none of the funds in this case have anything to do with Rhea County or Thacker’s position as County Executive.