More than a dozen residents of House Speaker Cameron Sexton's district filed a complaint with the Tennessee attorney general, asking for a civil investigation into whether he wrongly filed reimbursement expenses with the state.
The complaint alleges by filing for the larger per diem allowed to lawmakers who live outside the state capital — even though he owns a home in Nashville — Sexton wrongly claimed expenses 150 times, which could result in a fine of between $375,000 and $1.5 million.
"We believe a civil investigation into potential violations of the False Claims Act is warranted in order to protect the interests of Tennessee taxpayers," the complaint says.
The Cumberland County Democratic Party led the complaint. The county party's chairwoman, Anne Quillen, ran against Sexton in 2018 and 2022.
"This is not a vindictive effort," Quillen said. "This matter needs to be investigated and settled."
The complaint comes after a report by progressive news outlet Popular Information revealed Sexton downsized from a house to a condo in his hometown of Crossville while purchasing a house in Nashville under a hidden trust in 2021.
Sexton previously confirmed he owned the Nashville home and moved his family to the city, where his daughter attends school. He added he returns to Crossville on weekends, breaks and during the summer.
Sexton defended the move by pointing to...
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