Rhea County Executive George Thacker Expected To Plead Guilty To Misuse Of COVID Relief Funds

Rhea County Executive George Thacker is expected to plead guilty to misuse of COVID Relief funds. He’s been charged with One Count Of  Wire Fraud.  Federal court documents allege George Thacker, who is the owner and sole proprietor of Thacker Corporation, obtained Payment Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans totaling $665,600 which were supposed to be used for his business.  Court documents say the funds were transferred into Mr. Thacker’s personal accounts for his “own personal enrichment and gain and – contrary to the representations he made on the loan application forms – were not used for Thacker Corporation’s business and operating expenses.”  The court says he used money from the loans  to invest on E*trade and crypto-currencies. WTVC reports that according to Thacker’s attorney, Lee Davis, “None of the funds in this case have anything to do with Rhea County or Thacker’s position as County Executive. The funds were used in a personal capacity. There are no allegations of wrongdoing in his capacity as Rhea County Executive”.  The Rhea County Election Commission says George Thacker has withdrawn from the County Executive race on August 4th.  By State Code, Thacker’s withdrawal allows one more week for interested persons to submit a qualifying petition to the election commission. The deadline is 12 noon on Thursday, April 21, 2022.