Federal Jury Convicts Former Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 02, 2012 |
KNOXVILLE, TN—Following a nine-day trial in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, a jury convicted former Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner, of Knoxville, Tennessee, of five counts of misprision of a felony.
Sentencing is set for 9:00 a.m. on March 27, 2013, in U.S. District Court in Knoxville. Baumgartner faces a sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of conviction.
The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that the defendant made material misrepresentations to various officials concerning Deena Castleman in efforts to conceal her participation in a federal prescription drug trafficking conspiracy. The evidence showed that his motive involved her continued participation in the conspiracy so she could provide drugs and sexual favors to him.
U.S. Attorney William C. Killian said, “The facts of this case were highly publicized and clearly tarnished the image of the criminal justice system in the eyes of the public. This conviction demonstrates that those in public office who violate the law and abuse the public trust will be held accountable for their actions.”
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation which led to the indictment and subsequent conviction of Baumgartner. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Lewen, Jr. and Zachary Bolitho represented the United States at trial.