An anonymous tip to Knox County's fraud hotline in November 2024 kicked off an investigation into the Knox County Trustee's Office and its handling of taxpayer funds. Zac Fullerton, the county's internal auditor, disclosed to the county commission that preliminary reports had been forwarded to the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury following an internal audit of the trustee's office. According to a letter sent to county commissioners and cited by WATE, the comptroller's office has subsequently launched an ongoing and confidential investigation.
Findings from the internal audit, as per records analyzed by Knox News, indicate that Justin Biggs and his staff were reimbursed for hotel expenses totaling $4,716.59 above the county rate across ten trips. GPS records have also hinted at personal use of county-leased vehicles by trustee staff. Despite the damning details emerging, Fullerton reminded commissioners that the investigations lead by the Comptroller's Office remain under wraps to avoid impairing the process.
Trustee Justin Biggs, caught amid these allegations, terminated one employee for a breach of policy and confirmed the ongoing state review of his office management. Yet, barely brushed by the clouds of impropriety, he launched his re-election bid, barring media from his campaign event, which took place on April 22, reported WATE. His statement came on the heels of burgeoning media reports about his office's questionable expenses and lax vehicle use.
Further scrutiny from a WBIR investigation cast light on the repeated use of leased Chevrolet Silverados for trips, including a jaunt to Bristol, Va., which contravenes county policy for out-of-state travel without approval. With the involvement of a supervisor who was later terminated, and trips made to employees' homes and properties linked to these individuals, the layers of misuse appear to unfold wider, with the trustee's office sitting at the core of these transgressions.
