A former councilman from Clarksville, Tennessee, and his wife were indicted on fraud and perjury charges.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that Richard Garrett, the councilman, and Laquvia Garrett, his wife, were booked into the Montgomery County Jail after being arrested.
“The TBI found that the couple violated election laws. During the investigation, agents learned that they were responsible for perjury and voter registration fraud,” local news outlet WTVF reported.
“On Aug. 3, the Montgomery County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Richard with one count of perjury and two counts of voter registration fraud, and Laquvia with one count of perjury and one count of voter registration fraud,” the report added.
Garrett faced questions about whether he lived in the city ward he represented, which is required by the city.
This led to a formal investigation of Garrett’s residency by the 19th District Attorney’s office and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
He alleges that he moved his principal residence outside of Ward 1 but still owned his previous residence inside ward limits.
Richard Garrett denounced the fraud and perjury charges he and his wife were arrested for Friday evening, calling the residency investigation tied to his former position as city council member of Ward 1 racial and political.
“The motives behind this whole investigation and indictment are purely racial and political. To go after my spouse and have law enforcement traumatize my kids while we were at work really showed their true colors,” Garrett said.
“Prayerfully, change will come to the way the powers that be pick and choose who they want to try to use the law and target,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I’m grateful for the genuine people that have reached out to my family and I and continue to keep us in your prayers.”
Beyond that, the topic of voter fraud has become a hot-button issue.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has pledged that Republicans will launch “real investigations” of Democrats’ “fraud and abuse” if the GOP wins back the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections.
This is an excerpt from Conservative Brief.
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