East Tennessee attorney indicted on forgery and bribery charges
Published 10:13 am Wednesday, August 16, 2023
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HAWKINS COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of a Hawkins County attorney.
On May 12, at the request of 3rd Judicial District Attorney General Dan Armstrong, TBI agents began investigating allegations of forgery and bribery involving Daniel Boyd, 47, an attorney and Juvenile Court Judge in Hawkins County. On May 17, General Armstrong requested a pro tempore district attorney assume the case and 2nd Judicial District Attorney General Barry Staubus was appointed. During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Boyd, while working as an attorney, provided a client with a default judgment declaring her divorce to be finalized. The document appeared to be signed by the Chancellor of the 3rd Judicial District.
Further investigation revealed that no document existed with the Clerk and Master’s Office and that the case was never presented to the Chancellor. Additionally, the investigation revealed that when Boyd’s client filed a complaint, he offered her money if she would withdraw the complaint.
On Monday, the Hawkins County grand jury returned indictments charging Boyd with three counts of forgery, one count of criminal simulation, and one count of bribery. Today, he turned himself in and was booked into the Hawkins County Jail on a $25,000 bond.