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Official Misconduct Charges Removed From Former Trustee’s Record

Knox County

The case against former Knox County Trustee John Duncan III has been dismissed and charges that he misused public funds have been expunged from his criminal record.     

In July of 2013, Duncan resigned his Trustee position and pleaded guilty to official misconduct.  Duncan admitted he had distributed nearly $60,000 in bonuses to himself and six other employees for completing an online training program, even though none of them had actually completed it.   

The court’s decision to dismiss the case and grant judicial diversion to Duncan were conditions of the deal he accepted when he pleaded guilty last year.  At the time, he was placed on unsupervised probation and promised diversion if he could stay out of trouble. 

Duncan was elected as Trustee in a landslide in 2010, promising to bring trust and efficiency to an office marred by scandals and corruption.

Duncan is the son of US Representative John J. “Jimmy” Duncan, Jr.  His aunt, Becky Duncan Massey, currently serves in the Tennessee State Senate.