Operation Rocky Top
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Operation Rocky Top
Operation Rocky Top was an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into political corruption in the Tennessee state government in the late 1980s.Ronald SmothersTennessee Republicans See an Election Weapon in State's Bingo Scandal ''The New York Times'', January 28, 1990 Code name The code name for the investigation was derived from "Rocky Top", one of the state's official songs. Years later, another investigation of Tennessee public corruption was code-named Operation Tennessee Waltz, after another state song. Investigation Operation Rocky Top was launched in 1986 as an FBI and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation undercover investigation into illegal activities in charity bingo, including the illegal sale of bingo licenses. A first-year member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, Randy McNally of Oak Ridge, became a secret participant in the investigation in 1986 after he reported to authorities that a bingo lobbyist had offered him bribes and had boasted about ...
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Federal Bureau Of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes. Although many of the FBI's functions are unique, its activities in support of national security are comparable to those of the British MI5 and NCA; the New Zealand GCSB and the Russian FSB. Unlike the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which has no law enforcement authority and is focused on intelligence collection abroad, the FBI is primarily a domestic agency, maintaining 56 field offices in major cities t ...
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Plea Bargain
A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant will plead guilty to a less serious charge, or to one of the several charges, in return for the dismissal of other charges; or it may mean that the defendant will plead guilty to the original criminal charge in return for a more lenient sentence. A plea bargain allows both parties to avoid a lengthy criminal trial and may allow criminal defendants to avoid the risk of conviction at trial on a more serious charge. For example, in the legal system of the United States, a criminal defendant charged with a felony theft charge, the conviction of which would require imprisonment in state prison, may be offered the opportunity to plead guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge, which may not carry a custodial sentence. In cases such as an automobile ...
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Federal Bureau Of Investigation Operations
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or regional governments that are partially self-governing; a union of states *Federal republic, a federation which is a republic *Federalism, a political philosophy *Federalist, a political belief or member of a political grouping * Federalization, implementation of federalism Particular governments *Federal government of the United States **United States federal law **United States federal courts *Government of Argentina *Government of Australia *Government of Pakistan *Federal government of Brazil *Government of Canada *Government of India *Federal government of Mexico * Federal government of Nigeria *Government of Russia *Government of South Africa * Government of Philippines Other *''The Federalist Papers'', critical early arguments in ...
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Lobbying
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which usually involves direct, face-to-face contact, is done by many types of people, associations and organized groups, including individuals in the private sector, corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or advocacy groups (interest groups). Lobbyists may be among a legislator's constituencies, meaning a voter or bloc of voters within their electoral district; they may engage in lobbying as a business. Professional lobbyists are people whose business is trying to influence legislation, regulation, or other government decisions, actions, or policies on behalf of a group or individual who hires them. Individuals and nonprofit organizations can also lobby as an act of volunteering or as a small part of their normal job. Govern ...
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Political Contribution
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for-profit enterprises. Traditionally, fundraising has consisted mostly of asking for donations through face-to-face fundraising, such as door-knocking. In recent years, though, new forms such as online fundraising or reformed version of grassroots fundraising have emerged. Organizations Fundraising is a significant way that non-profit organizations may obtain the money for their operations. These operations can involve a very broad array of concerns such as religious or philanthropic groups such as research organizations, public broadcasters, political campaigns and environmental issues. ...
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Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's third largest city after Nashville and Memphis.U.S. Census Bureau2010 Census Interactive Population Search. Retrieved: December 20, 2011. Knoxville is the principal city of the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 869,046 in 2019. First settled in 1786, Knoxville was the first capital of Tennessee. The city struggled with geographic isolation throughout the early 19th century. The arrival of the railroad in 1855 led to an economic boom. The city was bitterly divided over the secession issue during the American Civil War and was occupied alternately by Confederate and Union armies, culminating in the Battle of Fort Sanders in 1863. Following the war, Knoxville grew rapidly as a major wholesal ...
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Ted Ray Miller
TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Department (TED) Entertainment and media * TED (conference) (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) * ''Tenders Electronic Daily'', a journal on Government procurement in the European Union#Procedures, government procurement in the European Union * Turner Field (The Ted), of the Atlanta Braves until 2017 Technology and computing * MOS Technology TED, an integrated circuit * TED Notepad, a freeware portable plain-text editor * Television Electronic Disc, an early Telefunken video disc * Transferred electron device or Gunn diode * TransLattice Elastic Database, a NewSQL database Transport * Teddington railway station, London, National Rail station code Other uses * Thyroid eye disease, aka Graves' ophthalmopathy * Tooheys Extra Dry, Australia ...
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Grand Jury
A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand jury is separate from the courts, which do not preside over its functioning. Originating in England during the Middle Ages, grand juries are only retained in two countries, the United States and Liberia. Other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most others now employ a different procedure that does not involve a jury: a preliminary hearing. Grand juries perform both accusatory and investigatory functions. The investigatory functions of grand juries include obtaining and reviewing documents and other evidence, and hearing sworn testimonies of witnesses who appear before it; the accusatory function determines whether there is probable cause to believe that one or more persons committed a particul ...
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Gentry Crowell
Gentry Crowell (December 10, 1932 – December 20, 1989) was a Tennessee secretary of state whose office was a target of investigation in Operation Rocky Top. Crowell committed suicide during the investigation.Birth and biography of Gentry Crowell
, Southern History website
Crowell was born December 10, 1932, in Chestnut Mound, Smith County, . A

Tommy Burnett
Sam Thomas Burnett (August 1, 1942 – September 17, 2009) was an American politician who was Majority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives and served two prison sentences for separate federal convictions. Early life Burnett was born and raised in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. He attended Cumberland College and received a law degree from the University of Tennessee. Professional life A farmer, businessperson and attorney, Burnett served as a Cumberland County Church of Christ preacher in Jamestown, Tennessee. After graduating from law school, Burnett established a law practice and began his political career. Political career In 1970, 28-year-old Burnett, a Democrat, was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. His district included Fentress, Overton and Morgan counties on the Cumberland Plateau. Burnett became a trusted lieutenant of House Speaker Ned McWherter. Burnett served first as house floor leader then house majority leader during the administ ...
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Incarceration
Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is " false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessarily imply a place of confinement, with bolts and bars, but may be exercised by any use or display of force (such as placing one in handcuffs), lawfully or unlawfully, wherever displayed, even in the open street. People become prisoners, wherever they may be, by the mere word or touch of a duly authorized officer directed to that end. Usually, however, imprisonment is understood to imply an actual confinement in a jail or prison employed for the purpose according to the provisions of the law. Sometimes gender imbalances occur in imprisonment rates, with incarceration of males proportionately more likely than incarceration of females. History Africa Before colonisation, imprisonment was used in sub-Saharan Africa for pre-trial detentio ...
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Knoxville News Sentinel
The ''Knoxville News Sentinel, also known as Knox News,'' is a daily newspaper in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Gannett Company. History The newspaper was formed in 1926 from the merger of two competing newspapers: ''The Knoxville News'' and ''The Knoxville Sentinel''. John Trevis Hearn began publishing ''The Sentinel'' in December 1886, while ''The News'' was started in 1921 by Robert P. Scripps and Roy W. Howard. The two merged in 1926, with the first edition of ''The Knoxville News-Sentinel'' appearing on November 22 of that year. The editor from 1921 to 1931, Edward J. Meeman, later was sent to Memphis to edit the since defunct '' Memphis Press-Scimitar''. In 1986, the ''News-Sentinel'' became a morning paper, with the other paper in Knoxville, the ''Knoxville Journal'', becoming an evening paper. The ''Journal'' ceased publication as a daily in 1991, when the joint operating agreement between the two papers expired. In 2002, the paper dropped the ...
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