SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — A former Sevier County deputy clerk accused of accepting bribes to title stolen cars has accepted a plea deal.
Brandy Thornton was one of two deputy clerks accused of accepting bribes in exchange for titling stolen cars after the FBI raided the Sevier County Courthouse in October 2021.
On Monday, Aug. 29, Thornton pleaded guilty at the U.S. District Court in Knoxville to a conspiracy charge, according to court documents. As part of her plea deal, her two other charges will be dismissed.
The conspiracy charge she's facing carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, and up to three years of supervised release. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2023.
In March 2022, the other former deputy clerk accused in the scheme, Roberta Webb-Allen, accepted a similar plea deal and pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in exchange for having her other charges dropped. Prosecutors said they were not going to oppose a reduction in her sentence as part of the agreement, saying she is likely to only serve a few months in prison because her actions "largely amounted to helping a colleague."
Webb-Allen was scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 23, but her hearing was pushed out at least 60 days out to October.
The two were accused of accepting cash payments from a man named Juan Lopez in exchange for "official acts." Prosecutors said Lopez stole vehicles in Miami, Florida, and transported them back to Sevier County. Federal prosecutors said Lopez presented fake titles, false VIN numbers, and fake registration information to Webb-Allen.
Webb-Allen and Thornton were then “willing to overlook” red flags when the fake information did not “add up” in Tennessee and National databases, the filing said. The court said Thornton, Webb-Allen, and Lopez met in parking lots and at a restaurant to exchange title and registration documents.
Federal prosecutors said they used a “confidential source” to record Webb-Allen and Thornton accepting bribes. The filing said Thornton took a bribe and helped the source get a title and registration based on false VIN numbers and fake documents.
Prosecutors said Webb-Allen “quickly admitted” to registering and creating titles for “a large number of vehicles” for Lopez when she was arrested.
Court documents said during a recorded interview, Webb-Allen told investigators customers gave some of the clerks “tips” or “lunch money,” and said her supervisor at the Sevier County Clerk’s Office knew about the tips and reviewed her work daily.
Federal prosecutors separately charged Lopez and seven others for transporting stolen vehicles to East Tennessee and for distributing 500 grams or more of cocaine in East Tennessee.