Sam Thomas Burnett (August 1, 1942 – September 17, 2009) was an American politician who was Majority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives and served two prison sentences for separate federal convictions.
While in prison, he was re-elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, defeating two opponents in the primary and winning the November 1984 general election with 60 percent of the vote.
[6] Burnett received a five-year prison sentence for his Operation Rocky Top conviction, and served 16 months before being released to a halfway house in August 1992.
After six months in the halfway house, he began a new career as a talk radio commentator on Teddy Bart's Roundtable program in Nashville.
However, he succeeded in getting the law license restored in 2003 and became a lobbyist in the General Assembly in his final years, although health problems limited his physical activity.