Image Credit: Aaliyah Hakeem / Facebook & Canva
Tennessee Conservative News [By Paula Gomes] –
A complaint about a candidate for criminal court has been sent to Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp to investigate.
Wamp has been asked to investigate potential campaign finance violations by Aaliyah Hakeem, a Democrat, who is challenging Republican incumbent Vince Dean.
The allegations sent to the state ethics commission come from Charles E. Brown who says that after looking over Hakeem’s filings, “it is obvious that she has not followed simple rules as set forth by the Election Commission.”
Wamp is mandated by state law to investigate any sworn complaints received by the Ethics Office and forward a report once the investigation is complete. Depending on what is uncovered during the investigation, Hakeem could face civil penalties.
Hakeem filed a campaign finance report over a week ago, which was due much earlier than the date she filed, in which she states she took in $292 while outgoing expenses totaled $1,430.28.
According to Brown, Hakeem filed the same disclosure three times, including once for a reporting period, 2nd quarter, that has not been completed.
Hakeem signed under oath that she is her own treasurer, something allowed under state law, but Brown pointed out that all of her campaign materials list a separate person as treasurer.
Brown also states in the complaint that some of Hakeem’s entries on her filings “blatantly ignore the guidelines each candidate is given at the time they qualify to run for office.”
The office of Criminal Court Clerk is required to file a number of reports such as Attestation of Compliance for the State Department of Revenue, State Department of Treasury, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Brown questioned Hakeem’s ability to file these reports given her inadequate filing of her campaign finance reports.
For her part, Hakeem claims she had nothing to report the first reporting period other than opening her account with $50 which is standard for a campaign account.
“All information and paperwork for the first and second reporting period were combined, hand carried, and submitted Monday, June 22, 2026,” stated Hakeem. “This information was checked, verified, signed, and witnessed by the Election Commission, along with my signature as treasurer of my campaign.”
Hakeem did admit that her late filing could lead to civil penalties but took issue with Brown saying that she misrepresented or aimed to mislead anyone regarding her campaign finances.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
