Lawyer accused of misusing homeless funds
Nashville Democratic operative, attorney Kevin Teets has his law license suspended
NASHVILLE - Nashville Democratic operative and attorney Kevin Teets, a former executive with the Tennessee Democratic Party who also led the political campaigns of District Attorney Glenn Funk and former mayoral candidate Bill Freeman, had his law licenses temporarily suspended Friday by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Documents from the Board of Professional Responsibility reveal Teets is accused of taking more than $8,000 from a nonprofit, created to help the homeless, and instead using the money to “fund his gambling addiction.”
The court determined through those actions, Teets had “misappropriated funds and poses a threat of substantial harm to the public,” according to a news release.
A complaint filed with the board, which oversees attorney conduct in Tennessee, states Jessica Thurmond, head of the Lace Up With Love organization, had hired Teets to help her form the nonprofit.
But within a few months, Thurmond suspected Teets was taking the money from the organization and using it to gamble.
According to her affidavit, Thurmond says Teets admitted to taking more than $8,000 between November and December from the nonprofit and using it for his own purposes.
Emails purportedly from Teets included in the board’s investigation show Teets referencing using his “personal funds in an asinine manner in Evansville” to explain why a check he tried to write to the nonprofit bounced.
Evansville, Indiana, has some of the closest casinos to Nashville.
Teets has repaid $6,500, according to the affidavit.
In response to a call to Teets, attorney Darrell Townsend gave little additional information regarding the specific allegations against his client.
“We are understandably disappointed in today’s development, but we look forward to making our case in further proceedings before the Board of Professional Responsibility,” Townsend said in an email, saying he and his client were legally not allowed to answer any other questions about the case.
Teets served as the executive director of the Tennessee Democratic Party from March to September in 2013.
He also managed Funk’s successful 2014 campaign to become Davidson County’s top prosecutor and spearheaded Freeman’s unsuccessful bid in 2015 to become Nashville’s mayor.
The board says the suspension remains in effect until the Supreme Court takes further action. Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.