Couple accused of stealing thousands from business indicted

HALLS COUPLE INDICTED, CHARGED WITH THEFT

LAUDERDALE COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has resulted in the indictment of a couple accused of stealing thousands from a Halls business.

In April, at the request of 25th Judicial District Attorney General Mark Davidson, TBI agents began investigating allegations of employee theft at Southern Lease Management Group in Halls. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that Maggie Cherry Tate (DOB: 5/30/79), a former employee, used her access to the business accounts to make fraudulent payments to herself and her husband, Justin Alexander Tate (DOB: 7/12/89). The investigation revealed the theft occurred from April 2019 to January 2025.

This week, the Lauderdale County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Maggie Tate and Justin Tate each with Theft over $250,000. Both turned themselves in and were booked into the Lauderdale County Jail. They have each since been released on a $25,000 bond.

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

About TBI
Since 1980, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has served as the state’s independent, lead law enforcement agency. Every day, focused on the agency’s core values of truth, bravery, and integrity, the TBI’s more than 700 employees provide a variety of advanced criminal and drug investigative, forensic, and criminal justice services to assist local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, to fulfill the agency’s promise, “That Guilt Shall Not Escape Nor Innocence Suffer.” Learn more about the TBI online at tn.gov/tbi, and connect with the agency on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @TBInvestigation.

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