Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk Tamara Sawyer Indicted for Theft, Fraud, and Money Laundering

Memphis, TN - A federal grand jury has returned a six-count indictment in a significant public corruption case against Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk Tamara Sawyer. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant, of the Western District of Tennessee, announced the indictment today.

Tamara ("Tami") Sawyer was sworn into office on August 29, 2024. As alleged in the indictment, between that date and June 22, 2025, Sawyer embezzled, stole, and knowingly converted $44,607.35 in public funds to her own use. She carried out the scheme by using procurement cards issued to other county employees, a county travel card, and by obtaining travel advances.

The indictment alleges that Sawyer used these cards to pay for a wide range of personal expenses for herself and others, including alcohol, food and goods ordered through web-based delivery services such as Uber Eats and Instacart, as well as charges at bars, hotels, restaurants, the Memphis Tigers, FedEx Forum, Turo, local fundraisers, and payments to various PayPal accounts-including her own. Many of these transactions occurred on weekends or holidays when the clerk's office was closed. Although Sawyer claimed the expenses were for official business, the investigation determined they were personal in nature.

The indictment further alleges that Sawyer also used the procurement cards as part of a money-laundering scheme. She transferred stolen funds to a PayPal account controlled by a friend, who kept a small portion and returned the remainder to Sawyer through CashApp.

Sawyer has been charged in the six-count indictment with the federal offenses of Conspiracy to Commit Honest Services Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, Theft Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds, Honest Services Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, and Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering Enterprises.

If convicted of all charges, the maximum possible punishment for these offenses is imprisonment for up to 20 years, a fine of up to $500,000.00 or both, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "Protection of local government programs receiving federal funds against public corruption, theft, fraud, waste, and abuse is a top priority of this office and the Department of Justice. We commend the FBI for their diligent and thorough investigation in this case."

"Public servants are entrusted by all of us to act in the best interests of the public they serve," said Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the FBI Nashville Field Office. "As alleged, the defendant brazenly abused her authority as a General Sessions Court Clerk to steal taxpayer dollars to serve herself. The FBI is committed to working with our partners to combat public corruption and aggressively pursue those who betray public trust."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Assistant U.S. Attorney J. William Crow is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States Government.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations of criminal conduct, and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.

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