'Tennessee Waltz' conducted 2-year sting operation

The FBI has charged four state lawmakers, one former lawmaker and two Tennessee businessmen with conspiracy, conspiracy to extort, attempted extortion and accepting bribes from an undercover agent.

Indictments handed down yesterday by a grand jury in Memphis are the culmination of a two-year investigation dubbed “Tennessee Waltz,” federal officials announced at an 11 a.m. news conference. Those indictments led to Thursday’s arrests of lawmakers John Ford, Kathryn Bowers, Chris Newton, Ward Crutchfield and former lawmaker Roscoe Dixon.