On His First Day as a County Commissioner, Will Richardson Was Arrested on Two Tax Felonies From 2020

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Shelby County Commissioner Will Richardson was arrested and booked into the Shelby County Jail on September 9, the same day he participated in his first meeting as a commissioner, on two felony counts of falsifying state revenue records, according to Shelby County court records.

Richardson faces two counts of falsification of state revenue or taxes, each a Class E felony under Tennessee law, according to the county's criminal justice records. A grand jury returned the indictment on August 25. A warrant for his arrest was issued September 8, and he was booked the following day with bail set at $40,000. Court records indicate the conduct alleged in the case dates to December 2020, roughly six years before the charges surfaced publicly. Reporting indicates Richardson posted bond.

These are charges, not convictions. An indictment is an accusation that the government must still prove in court, and a grand jury indictment reflects only a finding that there is enough evidence to bring a case, not a determination of guilt. Richardson is presumed innocent unless and until the charges are proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and he is entitled to defend himself in court. The specific factual allegations behind the two counts were not detailed in the records available at the time of publication.

The timing is striking. Richardson, a Democrat, won the District 8 seat with 81 percent of the vote in the August 6 county general election, defeating Republican E.J. Murphy and independent Keeley Greer. He was sworn in with the rest of the commission at an August 31 ceremony and took his seat representing District 8, replacing Mickell Lowery, who was elected county mayor. On the morning of his arrest, Richardson attended county commission committee meetings and, according to reporting, asked questions ahead of a vote on the county's jail health provider, before being booked that evening into the same jail system the commission oversees.

Commission Chairwoman Shante Avant said she was surprised to learn of the arrest, according to WREG.

Richardson is at least the second sitting member of the current commission to face a criminal charge since the most recent election cycle. Commissioner Erika Sugarmon was charged earlier this year with vandalism in connection with the alleged removal of campaign signs, a separate and unrelated matter. Each case stands on its own facts, and in each the person charged is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Why It Matters for Memphis

The County Commission approves the Shelby County budget, sets tax rates, and oversees county operations, including the jail. A criminal charge against a sitting commissioner, particularly one alleging falsification of tax or revenue records, goes to public trust in the body that manages county money. That is true regardless of how the case is ultimately resolved. The public interest here is not in the outcome, which the courts will decide, but in transparency about the process: what the charges are, how the case proceeds, and whether it affects the commissioner's ability to serve.

Your city. Your money. Your receipts.