Ex-Metro Councilman Guilty Of Coercing Domestic Violence Victim

NASHVILLE, TN -- A former Metro Councilman tried to coerce a domestic violence victim into not testifying against her attacker, a Davidson County judge ruled Wednesday.

Criminal Court Judge Mark Fishburn found former District 1 Councilman Loniel Greene and his cousin, Tavares Buchanan, guilty of coercion of a witness, a felony which carries a sentence of up to four years.

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During the bench trial, prosecutors played hours of taped conversations between Greene and Buchanan after the latter was jailed following a rape and aggravated assault arrest in 2016. Buchanan was convicted of those crimes in 2017.

"I'll work on her," Greene told Buchanan on the tapes, which emerged just months after he was elected to his first term on the council in 2015. "You need a team-based approach, and your team is in place."

The victim, who is the mother of Buchanan's children, testified that Greene told her the family would cut her off if she went forward with the charges.

Greene, who previous admitted to lying about Buchanan's bond payment, ultimately resigned from the council and was disbarred.

The men will be sentenced June 28.

Photo via Metro Nashville Police