Nashville Mayor Megan Barry pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony theft for spending more than $10,000 worth of government money, but will serve no time in jail.
Barry had reportedly been working on negotiations with Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk to face no prosecution if she were to resign from office. Instead of jail, Barry will serve three years of probation and agreed to repay the city $11,000 in reimbursement fees, although it was reported she spent nearly $33,000 of the government’s money.
The news comes as Tennessee Bureau of Investigation received information that Barry could have broken the law, prompting her to announce her resignation at a press conference Tuesday morning. (RELATED: Dem Mayor Who Had Expensive Affair With Bodyguard Expected To Resign)
Barry, who admitted she had an expensive affair with her head of security detail using taxpayer dollars, was reportedly in possession of nude photos of a woman taken on the phone of former Metro Police Sgt. Rob Forrest, with whom she had an affair. The photos were allegedly taken when the mayor and Forrest were on a trip together. Barry also allegedly deleted text messages between her and Forrest. (RELATED: Democratic Mayor May Face Criminal Charges After Nude Cellphone Photos And Deleted Chats Surface)
The Democratic mayor, who is married, apologized for having the affair with Forrest and using thousands of dollars on their travel expenses over the last 10 months. Barry claims that her trips as mayor of Nashville were for business, including trips to Paris and Athens. However, Barry does not think she improperly misused taxpayer money, NPR reported.
Democratic Vice Mayor David Briley will become acting mayor if Barry resigns, as expected.
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