LAWSUIT: Tami Sawyer Spent Tax Money on Grizzlies Tickets, Cigar Bar

DEVELOPING STORY: General Sessions Court Clerk Tami Sawyer is facing serious allegations of misconduct, according to the court’s former chief administrative officer.

Jeffrey Allen Walker alleges that he was fired because he refused to sign off on improper county expenditures. He claims Sawyer gave him the boot because he refused to stay silent about the alleged misuse of county funds.

Walker was responsible for monitoring the county-issued procurement card, which is only supposed to be used for official county business.

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According to the lawsuit, a court staffer alerted Walker to charges on the procurement card that had not been approved or authorized. The unauthorized charges totaled nearly $5,000.

WMC-TV reports the items were for personal expenses, including a visit to a cigar lounge, Uber Eats, Amazon deliveries, University of Memphis men’s basketball games, political campaign contributions, and purchases at food establishments unrelated to government operations.

Walker remailed county attorneys and the Ethics Board informing them of the suspicious charges, the lawsuit states. The following day, Sawyer told Walker that he would no longer be invited to meetings.

WREG-TV reports Sawyer called him into an “intimidating, hostile and threatening” meeting and asked him to resign. He refused and was fired.

Shelby County Republicans are enraged over Sawyer’s alleged behavior.

“WE TRIED TO WARN YOU, Shelby County, the GOP wrote on X. “Not only is Tirade Tami a law-enforcement-hating racist, but she allegedly thinks the tax payers should pay for her Grizzlies tickets, food, and other personal expenses.”

State Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Eads) called on Sawyer to resign.

“Word at the check out stand is that she’s been treating her government credit card like her personal piggy bank,” he wrote on X. “I repeat my call for her to resign. If she’s going to go on a shopping spree, she should at least buy something useful, like a clue!”

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