Investigation finds mayor, his daughter, and 3rd city employee misused thousands
MARTIN, Tenn. — Three employees for the City of Martin have been indicted by a grand jury for misuse of city funds. The Tennessee Comptroller’s investigative report reveals where taxpayer’s dollars were used.
The City of Martin Mayor Randy Brundige, his daughter Natalie, and Director of Economic and Community Development Brad Thompson were arrested and booked into the Weakley County Jail last night and were later released.
According to the Tennessee Comptroller report, the investigation began after the comptroller’s office received allegations regarding suspected illegal behavior.
Mayor Brundige
Randy Brundige
Mayor Randy Brundige was also accused of misappropriating funds from the city totaling approximately $11,000.
The investigation says that Mayor Brundige and Thompson ordered fine dining entrees and several alcoholic drinks at restaurants and used the city-issued credit card.
The bills from these restaurants would range from $200-700 per meal.
Brundige also charged subscription services such as OnStar, Sirius XM Radio, and Spotify on this card.
Natalie Brundige
Natalie Brundige
Natalie Brundige is accused of receiving roughly $174,000 in wages and employer-paid benefits over six years.
She was employed as a full-time custodian for the Martin Police Department and investigators discovered that she was only on site for two hours a day and was paid for 8 hours a day.
She was paid for almost 10,000 hours that she did not work which equals out to an estimated $139,000 of unearned compensation.
Brad Thompson
Brad Thompson
Brad Thompson is accused of misappropriating funds from the city totaling $274,000.
In addition, he’s accused of misappropriating roughly $33,000 on the city credit card for travel.
With this card, he traveled to a beachfront condo in 30A, flew first-class to Sienna, Italy for nine days and purchased UT Martin basketball and football season tickets.
What Happens Now?
The comptroller’s investigation is complete and the case is now in the hands of the district attorney.
The three individuals are set to appear in Weakley County Circuit Court on November 24 for arraignment. Stay with us on air and online for further developments in the case.
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