Overview

• Cothren was ordered to serve 30 months in federal prison, pay a $25,000 fine, and complete one year of probation after release.
• Prosecutors said Cothren secretly ran Phoenix Solutions to capture lawmakers’ constituent mailer funds, using the alias “Matthew Phoenix.”
• Former Speaker Glen Casada was convicted alongside Cothren for steering business to the firm, following testimony from ex-Rep. Robin Smith who pleaded guilty.
• Judge Eli Richardson excluded $158,000 tied to caucus and campaign work from Cothren’s sentencing calculations but found the laundering efforts were intricate.
• Cothren’s attorneys signaled plans to appeal, and Casada’s sentencing was postponed to Sept. 23 after the lengthy hearing for Cothren.