Victims Include Daughter of Tennessee State Trooper Killed
in the Line of Duty
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – April 22, 2019 - Jackie Lynn Garton, 54,
of Dickson, Tennessee, was sentenced today to 92 months in prison for stealing
more than $1.36 million from the trust funds of clients, announced U.S.
Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee. U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson ordered
Garton to be taken into custody immediately at the conclusion of the hearing.
Garton, a practicing attorney in Dickson, was charged in
December 2018 with wire fraud, tax fraud and aggravated identity theft and
pleaded guilty to all charges.
According to court documents, Garton served as the trustee
for several estates, including the daughter of a Tennessee State Trooper who
was killed in the line of duty in 2005.
Beginning in 2009, Garton began withdrawing funds under false pretenses
from her account and others, without the clients’ knowledge. Garton converted the funds into cashier’s
checks and used the money to enrich his lifestyle, including purchasing luxury
items including a Jaguar automobile, a boat and a house.
The deceased Trooper’s daughter was unaware of the account
withdrawals until 2017, when at age 24, she wanted to open a bookstore, only to
learn that her account had been depleted.
Garton admitted that he stole approximately $1.2 million dollars from
this client and a total of more than $1.36 million from her and other clients.
In conjunction with the preparation of his 2016 taxes,
Garton under reported his income to the IRS, claiming his total income was
$95,875, while he actually received at least $367,223, which included funds
stolen from clients. Garton failed to
report the stolen income from 2009 through 2016 and intended to defraud the IRS
of more than $350,000.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the IRS-Criminal
Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Beth Myers
and Kathryn Booth.
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