Tennessee

MEMPHIS, TN – A federal appeals court has affirmed a lower court ruling in a dispute over a multimillion-dollar insurance payout following a 2015 fire and arson at the House of Blues recording studio in Memphis. According to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the fire caused extensive damage to the studio and its equipment, which had been insured by Hanover American Insurance Company. Music producer Christopher C. Brown, through his company Tattooed Millionaire Entertainment, held the policy covering the premises and recording gear. Separate insurance coverage had also been obtained by musician John Falls, who leased and operated one of the studios. Court records show that Brown submitted forged receipts to Hanover for equipment lost in the fire. The jury later determined that F...

NASHVILLE, TN – A federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges two individuals with conspiring to bypass treatment processes and tamper with a monitoring device at a Nashville waste treatment facility, in violation of the Clean Water Act. File Photo (September 2025) According to court documents, Randall Ray Stark, of Texas, and Caleb Warren Randall, of Tennessee, served as Facility Operations Manager and Plant Supervisor, respectively, at the facility operated by Allwaste Onsite, doing business as Onsite Environmental (Onsite). The indictment alleges that in December 2022 and January 2023, Stark and Randall directed employees to bypass required treatment processes and discharge untreated and partially treated wastewater into the Nashville sewer system. They also allegedly ...

KINGSPORT, TN – A Tennessee man has pleaded guilty to tax and wire fraud charges for his role in a scheme that sought approximately $3.4 million in fraudulent COVID-19-related tax refunds. File Photo (July 2022) According to court documents and statements made in court, Edward Zanes, of Kingsport, conspired with others to exploit pandemic-era tax credits by creating phony businesses with no actual operations or employees. The fraudulent entities were used to file false tax returns claiming refunds through the employee retention credit and the paid sick and family leave credit—programs designed to support businesses during the pandemic. Zanes assisted in preparing and filing multiple false tax returns and ensured they were sent to addresses he and his co-conspirators controlled. In...

MEMPHIS, TN – A nine-count federal indictment has been unsealed in the Western District of Tennessee, charging six alleged members of the Unknown Vice Lords (UVL) – Ghost Mob gang with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and firearms violations stemming from a retaliatory shooting in 2020. According to court documents, the UVL Ghost Mob, a subset of the Almighty Vice Lord Nation originating in Chicago, is accused of conducting a coordinated attack on rival gang members following a prior shooting that left four people injured. In the early hours of Sept. 7, 2020, the defendants allegedly opened fire on a rival gang member's residence with assault-style rifles, discharging 40 to 50 rounds. The act was captured on neighborhood security camera...

MEMPHIS, TN – A former employee of a DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing company was sentenced today to 57 months in federal prison for stealing hundreds of pre-release movie discs and selling them online, as well as for illegally possessing a firearm. According to court documents, 38-year-old Steven R. Hale of Memphis worked for a multinational company that manufactured and distributed DVDs and Blu-rays for major movie studios. Between February 2021 and March 2022, Hale stole pre-release copies of films including F9: The Fast Saga, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Godzilla v. Kong, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Dune, and Black Widow. Federal prosecutors said Hale sold the stolen discs through e-commerce sites. One of the stolen Blu-rays, Spider-Man: No Way Home, was illegally...

NASHVILLE, TN – Skyler Philippi, 24, of Columbia, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to destroy an energy facility. According to court documents, Philippi planned to attack Nashville’s energy infrastructure using a drone equipped with explosives. He conducted reconnaissance of an electrical substation, researched explosives, and communicated his intent to use C-4 or TATP on a drone to disable the facility. Philippi was arrested on Nov. 2, 2024, after meeting undercover FBI employees at a hotel and preparing to attach an armed explosive to a drone. Prosecutors stated Philippi had been motivated by violent extremist ideology, previously affiliating himself with Atomwaffen Division and the National Alliance. He also wrote a manif...