The saga of a former Sevier County Utility District president ensnared in charges of bribery and official misconduct reached a new chapter, as the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation leveled indictments after a probing investigation. According to WATE, Matthew Ballard is accused of diverting at least $181,582.83 from district funds for personal benefit, including an intricate kickback scheme involving overbilling by an electrical company.
Ballard, who was fired from SCUD on March 22, 2023, allegedly netted $141,010 in kickbacks for himself, with his father, William "Eddie" Ballard, also pocketing $17,750 through this fraudulent arrangement. WATE reported that beyond these dealings, Ballard Jr. instructed a district employee in writing false information on an invoice, settling a gambling debt under the guise of legitimate SCUD business. Tangled in his web of deception, the employee caught directed by Ballard to lie to the SCUD board, consistent with his actions of erasing data from his work-assigned devices to stymie the investigation.
Additional findings by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office reveal questionable authorizations for SCUD spending by Ballard totaling upwards of $1.7 million. This includes substantial payments to the same electrical company providing him kickbacks and significant unwarranted expenditures on landscaping and consulting services,as per WATE. “Mr. Ballard’s actions and his disregard for the ratepayers within the district are egregious,” voiced Comptroller Mumpower, expressing dismay over the lack of oversight from the SCUD board amid such flagrant misappropriation of funds.
Both Matthew and his father William were indicted and opted to turn themselves in, now facing the legal consequences of their actions. The Sevier County Grand Jury handed down the indictments, with the younger Ballard charged with bribery and official misconduct while his father encountered a charge of criminal responsibility for the conduct of another, as shared by TBI Newsroom.
