Connor Daryani

Nashville

Journalist at Nashville Banner

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Articles

Former state House Speaker Glen Casada and top aide face decades in prison after guilty verdict

6 days ago | tullahomanews.com | Connor Daryani

After a three-week trial watched intensely by Tennessee’s political establishment, former Speaker of the House Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren were found guilty of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery, theft and money laundering. They could face decades behind bars for their crimes. The jury’s verdict came in around noon on the fourth day of deliberations. Cothren was found guilty on all 19 counts, while Casada managed to get off on two of the counts.
Davidson County Sees Higher Than Usual Rate of Rainfall

1 week ago | nashvillebanner.com | Connor Daryani

Davidson County is on track to have one of the rainiest years so far this century. With a few days of rainy forecasts left in the month, this May already has beaten out all but two other Mays of the last 25 years as the rainiest. And while May of 2009 and 2010 may have had more rain, cumulatively, 2025 has been the rainiest of the last 25 years in Nashville so far, with 31 inches of rain. The average rainfall at this point in the year is 23.8 inches.
Glen Casada and Top Aide Face Decades in Prison After Guilty Verdict

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Connor Daryani |Nashville Banner

After a three-week trial watched intensely by Tennessee’s political establishment, former Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren were found guilty of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery, theft and money laundering on Friday. U.S. makes a straightforward case that the duo defrauded the government through mailing company The jury’s verdict came in around noon on the fourth day of deliberations.
Casada, top aide face years in prison after guilty verdict

3 weeks ago | nashvillepost.com | Connor Daryani |Nashville Banner

After a three-week trial watched intensely by Tennessee’s political establishment, former Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren were found guilty of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery, theft and money laundering on Friday. The jury’s verdict came in about noon on the fourth day of deliberations. Cothren was found guilty on all 19 counts, while Casada managed to get off on two of the 19 counts.
Glen Casada and Top Aide Face Decades in Prison After Guilty Verdict

3 weeks ago | williamsonscene.com | Connor Daryani |Nashville Banner

After a three-week trial watched intensely by Tennessee’s political establishment, former Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada and his former chief of staff Cade Cothren were found guilty of honest services wire fraud, conspiracy, bribery, theft and money laundering on Friday. The jury’s verdict came in around noon on the fourth day of deliberations. Cothren was found guilty on all 19 counts, while Casada managed to get off on two of the 19 counts.
Metro study reveals living wage gap in Nashville workforce

3 weeks ago | nashvillebanner.com | Connor Daryani

A new report from Metro Social Services found that more than 200,000 Davidson County workers earn less than a living wage. Living wage is calculated by looking at the minimum a person needs for housing, food, health insurance, transportation and other basic necessities in a given city. The report found that the living wage for one adult living in Davidson County is $52,858.
Casada, Cothren Attorneys Are a Contrast of Styles in Closing Arguments

3 weeks ago | nashvillescene.com | Connor Daryani |Nashville Banner

When Glen Casada’s attorney Ed Yarbrough approached the podium to give his closing argument, he gave the jury a very clear instruction. “I don’t even want you to take notes," he said. "I just want to talk to you and invoke common sense.”He didn’t present a PowerPoint like the prosecution or his colleague defending Cade Cothren had. He hardly spent any time looking down at his notepad. He didn’t even ask his paralegal to display evidence on the screen for the jury. He just talked.
Casada's Defense Questions State's Case in Closing Arguments

3 weeks ago | nashvillebanner.com | Connor Daryani

When Glen Casada’s attorney Ed Yarbrough approached the podium to give his closing argument, he gave the jury a very clear instruction. “I don’t even want you to take notes. I just want to talk to you and invoke common sense,” he said. He didn’t present a PowerPoint like the prosecution or his colleague defending Cade Cothren would. He hardly spent any time looking down at his notepad. He didn’t even ask his paralegal to display evidence on the screen for the jury. He just talked.
Casada, Cothren Attorneys Are a Contrast of Styles in Closing Arguments

3 weeks ago | williamsonscene.com | Connor Daryani |Nashville Banner

Editor's Note: This story was originally published on Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon the jury had begun deliberations which are likely to continue throughout the day Wednesday. When Glen Casada’s attorney Ed Yarbrough approached the podium to give his closing argument, he gave the jury a very clear instruction. “I don’t even want you to take notes," he said.
Slow progress in Glen Casada and Cade Cothren's trial

1 month ago | nashvillebanner.com | Connor Daryani

The trial of Glen Casada and Cade Cothren has reached the planned halfway point, and so far, it’s going slow and steady. The trial was originally allotted four weeks on Judge Eli Richardson’s calendar. On the first day of trial, Federal Prosecutor Taylor Phillips said the government was optimistic the trial would not take that long. But that optimism quickly disintegrated, and Phillips told Richardson they were behind schedule on the second day of the trial.