The legal failures in my case are staggering. I was assigned a public defender who encouraged me to leave the state for work and then she failed to appear in court on my behalf, triggering a failure to appear arrest warrant.
She said she had been intimidated and manipulated by the prosecutor and judge. Five days after she encouraged me to visit a potential client in Colorado and 2 days after she missed my court date, she told me that she was withdrawing from my case.
Considering the political pressure and plea deal coercion, I was afraid to return to Knoxville without legal counsel. I was left in legal limbo and exile. Every motion, email, and legal petition I filed was ignored. The court granted the court appointed attorney her withdrawal but did not appoint a replacement.
After consulting with approximately 30 different attorneys, I finally hired private counsel and returned to Tennessee voluntarily. I was immediately arrested and jailed for failing to appear in court while I was in Colorado. My current “Attorney” has since missed multiple hearings and the court clerk confirmed by email that no attorney of record was listed in my case. My 6th amendment right to counsel continues to be trampled on.
I have now been in jail for more than 180 days, without a bond hearing and no trial in sight, 4 years after this nightmare started. A false admission of guilt is my only option for release. This scenario is exactly what I was afraid of and why I remained outside of Tennessee until I was legally represented.
While I was stuck in Colorado, I realized I had to act in every way possible. I co-founded a nonprofit, Coalition Against Legal Misconduct (C.A.L.M.), alongside Edward (Anker) Browder and Rhiannon Oberg. We began investigating the broader corruption. We hired a private investigator. We worked with journalists. We started uncovering the truth.
Our work led to six front-page stories in the Knoxville News Sentinel and two front page Sunday features. These articles exposed how untrained, uncertified Knox County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) deputies carried out armed raids, handcuffed civilians, seized property illegally and lied in writing about the existence of body worn cameras and video footage of these incidents in our case.
They’d been operating outside the law for seven years and no one stopped them, because they were connected. These rogue deputies are close friends with and were appointed by KCSO Sheriff Tom Spangler.
One of the deputies was a campaign donor and is the husband of his campaign manager and KCSO communications director. Another is a close friend and fishing buddy.
Sheriff Spangler is a governor appointed commissioner who sits on the oversight and regulation board called the Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Commission. The P.O.S.T. Commission is responsible for oversight and enforcement of the state laws that govern police work. Let that sink in.
Our reports and the New Sentinel articles triggered a state-level investigation by the Tennessee POST Commission, which confirmed the illegal misconduct. In December 2024, the state officially found that the KCSO deputies in our case were not certified to perform police work.
Sheriff Tom Spangler apologized to the board and no corrective action was taken. Our case should have been dismissed immediately and prosecution initiated for the KCSO personnel. Instead, the County and District Attorney doubled down, refusing to admit wrongdoing and using plea deals to bury the truth.
To date, 20 criminal defense attorneys have cycled through our case but there has been very little progress in court. We have a filed Motion to Suppress Evidence based on the 2021 illegal search and seizure. This motion was filed 0n 2-11-2022, three and a half years ago. The motion has never been heard because the DA and court system are protecting the KCSO.
Can you imagine the personnel impersonating police officers being called to the witness stand to testify under oath and exposing their criminal actions? The TN statute says that the person that they were appointed by, Sheriff Tom Spangler, and the person that pays their wages would also be guilty of Class A Misdemeanors.
The legal consequences and liability exposure over a seven year stretch is mind boggling. Now add the falsification of government documents, perjury and obstruction of justice to the equation.
These are the true reasons I am behind bars. They desperately need admissions of guilt to cover up the official misconduct and KCSO crimes related to our case.
Our nonprofit, C.A.L.M., has uncovered far more misconduct than we ever expected or can describe in this short summary. We’ve assembled a soon-to-be published 200-page book "Convertergate, The Disappearance of Truth" that summarizes thousands of pages of evidence. You can order a copy below this letter at the bottom of the page.
We’ve filed federal motions, amicus briefs, DOJ referrals, and documented every step. We’ve built a coordinated strategy that is real, proven, and effective. The foundation is built, and the plan is in place.
We did all of this while losing our reputations, livelihoods, homes, families and friends. We have gone as far as we can with a shoestring budget and sweat equity. The next step requires significant funding.
We need your help.
This is not just about me and the people directly affected by our case. We found patterns of misconduct and have now helped 3 additional cases. I would say that they are unrelated but there is a common denominator; official misconduct by the same bad actors.
This is about a broken justice system that punishes the innocent to protect the powerful and shields the guilty in the name of politics.
We are asking for your help to raise $50,000 to retain specialized legal counsel, sustain litigation, continue media efforts and pay for the work needed to win our freedom and get me out of jail.
We’ve already paid the price. We’ve lost our businesses, homes, savings, and even our health. But now, after four long years, we’re in a position of strength. We have the evidence. We have the plan. We just need your support to finish what we started.
Every donation matters. Whether it’s $10 or $10,000, you are fueling a fight for truth, justice, and freedom. Your contribution is tax-deductible through our 501(c)(3) nonprofit and goes directly to legal fees, investigative work, and advocacy infrastructure.
Together, we can force the accountability that is long overdue. It’s go time!
With gratitude and hope,
Stephen Bradley
C.A.L.M. Co-Founder
.png/:/cr=t:0%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:100%25/rs=w:1209,cg:true)
