Tennessee sheriff indicted for profiting from inmate labor, misusing funds

abcnews.go.com:

Officials say the sheriff of a rural Tennessee county illegally profited from the work of jail and prison inmates under his care and housed dozens of them in a home outside of the prison without permission

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The sheriff of a rural Tennessee county illegally profited from the work of jail inmates under his supervision and housed dozens of them in a home outside of the prison without permission, officials said Wednesday.

Gibson County Sheriff Paul Thomas was indicted in May in Gibson and Davidson counties on 22 charges including official misconduct, theft, forgery and computer crimes involving jail inmates in his custody, Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower said in a news release.

Thomas turned himself in to authorities this week and he is out on bond, said Davidson County district attorney Stacey Edmonson. Thomas' lawyer said the sheriff deserves the presumption of innocence and he looks forward to defending himself in court.

Investigators said Thomas was an investor in three for-profit companies that provided staffing assistance to local businesses, housed current and former inmates in a transitional home, and provided transportation to work-release inmates and former inmates traveling to and from work. Thomas failed to disclose his ownership interest in the companies, known as Alliance Group, in his annual filings with the Tennessee Ethics Commission, Mumpower said.

Thomas directed more than $1.4 million in inmate wage fees and deductions to profit Alliance Group, investigators said. At least 170 inmates in Thomas’ custody were employed by Alliance's staffing agency during the investigation, investigators said.

Alliance Transportation was paid $18 per day to bring inmates to and from work, while 82