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New court filing details how Sevier Co. deputy clerks accepted bribes to title stolen cars

Prosecutors said a man stole vehicles in Miami, Florida, and transported them back to Sevier Co., where the two clerks would take bribes in exchange for documents.

SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. — In a new court filing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in East Tennessee detailed how two Sevier County deputy clerks accepted bribes to create official titles for stolen cars from fake information.

The filing said deputy clerks Brandy Thornton and Roberta Webb-Allen accepted money 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. The U.S. Attorney said Lopez presented fake titles, false VIN numbers, and fake registration information to Webb-Allen.

Webb-Allen and Thornton were “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.

These details appeared in a motion to sever defendants. Thornton said she wanted to be tried separately from Webb-Allen because the other deputy clerk's statements to investigators could be entered as evidence. 

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.

Prosecutors charged Thornton and Webb-Allen for two counts of taking cash payments in exchange for an official act. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the two could face up to 20 years in prison.

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