Knoxville Radio: Owner Joe Armstrong Indicted For Tax Fraud

Joe Armstrong

Joe Armstrong, the longtime Knoxville Democratic lawmaker and businessman who has gained prominence on the national political stage, was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on charges he took part in a tax fraud scheme.

WBIR-TV reports Armstrong, 58, was part of a scheme involving the sale of state cigarette tax stamps, according to the indictment. Armstrong and other "co-conspirators" bought the stamps at one price and then sold them at a profit, the indictment alleges.

In addition, the indictment alleges, Armstrong and his co-conspirators tried to hide the profits "to avoid the assessment and payment of federal income taxes," the indictment states.

Armstrong also owns WJBE 1040 AM / 99.7 T-FM, a Knoxville-based soul station that also features syndicated talk show hosts such as Tom Joyner.

Armstrong told the News Sentinel in a 2012 story he'd always dreamed of owning a radio station. While attending the University of Tennessee in the late 1970s, he worked at the original WJBE, owned by "Godfather of Soul" James Brown.

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