Defendant’s Letter Accepting Responsibility — U.S. v. Thacker

Record facts

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee · No. 1:22-cr-00054-CEA-CHS · Doc. 20-1 · 2022-09-28 · Docket on CourtListener

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Your Honor:

My name is George Thacker. As you know, I come before you guilty of a crime. I am
embarrassed and remorseful about what I’ve done wrong. I’ve spent time reflecting on why I
made such bad decisions, and I’ve confronted parts of myself which I had previously avoided
dealing with. I took an honest look at how I got myself into this mess. This letter is meant to

communicate the results of that introspection, and to express my deep remorse.

Family and Youth

My childhood was unstable, and exposed me to repeated situations of trauma and abuse. Prior to
turning 12 years old, I lived with my biological parents. My dad was an alcoholic. My mother
was a prostitute, and brought the men who paid her into our home. We were poor and we
struggled to get by financially. I lacked much of an education. Around the same time, I was held
down and sexually assaulted by a group of men; that is a memory that I struggle with to this day.

Eventually, my mother left my father. He was unable to properly care for my 6 siblings and
myself, and we were put into foster care when I was 12 years old. Unfortunately, foster care was
not entirely good either. While in foster care, | was beaten with a cattle prod, and one caretaker
made sexual advances toward me. Eventually, I did live with a foster family who taught me work
ethics and provided a fairly stable home life for me. For that, I am thankful.

The events that happened in my childhood caused me to have the ability to separate myself from
the reality of a situation. At the time of being abused, it might have been a necessary coping
skilll, but it eventually contributed to poor decision making as an adult. This is something I can

change, after becoming aware of it.

Career
I worked at a Lazy Boy furniture factory when I was growing up. In high school, I attended
vocational school, where I studied auto body work. I did auto body work for some time after that.
Later on, I got into helping plan malls, restaurants and hotels. At this time, I work at The Grand
Hotel).

Crime

After I got the loan that is the subject of this case, I made a series of wrong choices. | put the
money into an improper place and I used it for things it was not supposed to be used for. There is
no easy way to say it; the simple truth is, I broke the law and I am at fault. I hurt a lot of people

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in the process of my unlawful actions. I deeply regret it and I wish I could go back and change
the choices I made. I should have been more responsible about the loan and about my intentions.

A lot of people trusted me. I had even been a public servant, and I let all those people down
through my actions. I have children and grandchildren; this is not what I want them to remember
about me. I disgraced them and did not live up the responsibility of being a father and a
grandfather. I am sincerely sorry for my crime and I am humiliated by my choices. I know I
cannot go back and change the past, but I am determined to get back to being the kind of man
that would make my family proud to be related to me.

Lessons Learned

Throughout this process of being in the legal system, I have learned some valuable lessons that
I’ll be taking with me far beyond this case. When I first got in trouble, I told myself it wasn’t my
fault, and made all kinds of excuses for what I did wrong. Eventually, I came to realize that I
alone am responsible for my choices. It is my responsibility to fully understand every
commitment I make, and to know exactly how my actions will impact myself and others.
Choosing to not fully look into rules or regulations is not an excuse. It’s just another way of
being dishonest and skirting the issue of ownership of responsibility.

I also learned that people are more important than a job or material things. Personal relationships
are what matters. Titles can be stripped away, and at the end of the day when you go home, you
are alone with yourself. I want to focus on family and treating people right. That will get me a lot
farther than breaking the law or focusing on money in any unlawful kind of way.

Positive Actions And Future Plans

I am committed to doing whatever I need to do to make restitution for what I have done wrong.
In addition to that, I want to do all within my power to understand why I made the wrong
decisions, and how to avoid ever going down that path again. I completed a series of sessions
with a Certified Life Coach to help me identify my thinking errors, and correct the faulty patterns
of reasoning that got me in this position. I don’t want to just “say” I am changing my ways, but I
am taking action to follow through on it.

After this situation is behind me, I plan to stay living in the area. I want to keep attending my
church for emotional and Spiritual support. I’m a musician, and I intend to continue playing
music also.

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Closing Remarks

I am not asking for mercy or leniency, but rather I ask that you consider this letter as you decide
my legal punishment. I am prepared to respectfully accept whatever you decide in this matter. I
did something wrong, and I know there is a price to pay for that. I want to thank you for your

time in reading my letter.

Respectfully,

cker

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