Former state lawmaker gets 2-year prison sentence (Diplomatic Passport TN

[NashVegas]

http://tennessean.com/local/archives/04/04/50504595.shtml?Element_ID=50504595

A federal judge yesterday sentenced former state Rep. Ronnie Davis to more than two years in prison for participating in a scheme to sell phony diplomatic passports and later, while free on bail, delivering drugs to a longtime girlfriend.

...

The married Davis was arrested with his girlfriend, Diana Burton, of Murfreesboro. She had put him touch with two Texas businessmen seeking diplomatic passports.

He unsuccessfully tried to use his government connections to help the men, but when he was told that they didn't qualify for diplomatic passports, he arranged to get regular passports, then doctored them with leather covers embossed with the gold seal of the United States.

Davis and Burton then charged the men, Glenn Guillet and Robert Littell, $100,000 for the service.

Remember this story, from last year?

[salin]

1. I had missed this very odd story.

crafty sob, glad that he was caught and has been sentenced.

[truthisfreedom]

2. oh, let's just be up-front about it. HE'S A RETHUG. [link]

http://www.oakridger.com/stories/060302/stt_0603020065.html

<snip>

Ten of those members had voted to pass the budget over Sundquist's veto, but would not vote to keep it in constitutionally required balance. They are: Reps. Mae Beavers (R-Mt. Juliet), Stratton Bone (D-Lebanon), Dewayne Bunch (R-Cleveland), Ronnie Davis (R-Newport), Dennis Ferguson (D-Kingston), Jamie Hagood (R-Knoxville), Mike Kernell (D-Memphis), Donna Rowland (R-Murfreesboro), Paul Stanley (R-Germantown) and John White (D-Lawrenceburg).

<snip>

[Judi Lynn]

3. Ha ha. This Republican really won't control himself.

I found this in google:

Officials: Davis in possession of drugs

By: Ray Snader, Tribune Correspondent November 15, 2003

Former state rep. in jail pending Nashville hearing
Ronnie Davis, who formerly represented Newport in the Tennessee House of Representatives, continues to be held in a federal prison in Kentucky today, pending a detention hearing in Nashville Tuesday.


Federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested the 59-year-old former lawmaker at a Lebanon truck stop Thursday after he allegedly drove there intending to deliver drugs to a friend, Diana Burton of Murfreesboro.

Instead, upon his arrival, two DEA agents met Davis, cuffed him and placed him in the rear of a cruiser.
(snip)

Davis was freed on a $25,000 bond, and a judge set a trial date for April. But the day before the trial was to begin, Burton attempted suicide with pills reportedly given to her by Davis.
(snip/...)

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10521213&BRD=1613&PAG=461&dept_id=159372&rfi=6

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember the story of Keith Westmoreland, who went on a vacation to Florida, where he was caught exposing himself to children at a hotel pool? He returned to Tennessee, where it was learned he had been involved in similar situations there, and before he could go to trial, he killed himself. At the memorial service for him, Davis said:

"It's a sad day when we let the media drive us over the edge."

http://www.tnchamber.org/taxation/articles/6-21-02b.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Davis claims he's innocent, plots campaign
by Tom Humphrey, Knoxville News-Sentinel Nashville bureau

NASHVILLE - State Rep. Ronnie Davis said Thursday he will fight criminal charges against him in court while waging a full-scale political campaign for re-election.

"I've made a lot of mistakes and sinful acts in my lifetime, but I hope and believe I have never made a criminal act," said Davis, R-Newport. "I'm going home and will start campaigning Saturday with more determination than I had before Aug. 30."
(snip)

"There will be many a dark day, but I fully expect that, sometime in the future, I will be able to look back on those dark days and say that I am a better person, maybe, for those dark days," he said.
(snip)

~~~~ link ~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bad timing:

HOW DO YOU PLEAD, SENATOR? — State Rep. Ronnie Davis, a Republican who lost, is under indictment on fraud charges indictment and appeared in court on Election Day to plead innocent.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,440014580,00.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally, the explanation:

People on Capitol Hill were shocked and appalled to discover that state Rep. Ronnie Davis had a girlfriend. It seems that the distinguished and married educator from Cocke County had begun to worry about the long term financial stability of the lady. After all, he had gotten her state jobs and she had lost them all. They hit upon a scheme in which they would bilk some foreign nationals out of a lot of money promising them U.S. passports. It is heartwarming to note that the money was to be used to buy the lady a house; what the tabloids would refer to as a love nest. After the FBI arrested the couple for fraud, things only got worse. She tried a drug overdose, but survived. Then she told the FBI that she got the drugs from her legislator boyfriend. They asked her to have him deliver her some more. He did. They busted him. The question now is which druggist back home has been supplying the legislator/educator/part time drug dealer with prescription drugs?

http://216.111.31.12/details.asp?PRID=163

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On edit:
Now I find he brought Al Gore's name into his scheme!

Davis!

Davis is an 18-year veteran of the Legislature. He and Diana Dorothy Burton were charged in August 2002 with a scheme that involved providing fraudulent diplomatic passports to two Texas men for $100,000.

The indictment accuses Davis and Burton of forging letters appearing to be from former Vice President Al Gore, then-Governor Don Sundquist and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The letters vouched for the character of Dr. Glen Guillet and Robert Littell, both of Beaumont, Texas.

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=1465254

[Judi Lynn]

4. This article deserves its own post. It's UNBELIEVABLE!

By DUREN CHEEK
Staff Writer


Passport probe indicates Davis led 'double life'

The federal indictment reads like a Hollywood script.

Federal prosecutors claim that state Rep. Ronnie Davis, 58, a country-talking school administrator from the East Tennessee mountains, teamed with Diana Dorothy Burton of Murfreesboro and illegally provided forged diplomatic passports to two Texas men in exchange for $100,000.

The indictment indicates that Davis led a double life with a longstanding relationship with Burton, described in a federal indictment as his ''personal companion,'' and a wife, Barbara, home in Newport.

Burton is the owner of Bliss, an upscale boutique at 2225 Bandywood Drive in Green Hills. Davis is principal of Cocke County Vocational School.

The government maintains Davis and Burton fabricated letterhead stationery from the offices of then Vice President Al Gore, Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, wrote letters of introduction on the stationery to be used with the passports and signed the letters with forged signatures.
(snip/...)

http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/02/09/22101532.shtml?Element_ID=22101532

Criso, you've brought sneers, smirks, and grins to life with your thread on this guy. This guy is dedicated to advancing himself any way possible. He's a true Republican!

[VelmaD]

5. Of course if he had been a Democrat...

they would have made sure to mention that. Since he's a Rethug...not a word. Grr...