Ogles Lied About Earning A College Degree In International Relations. According to the Washington Post, "In response to the NewsChannel5 coverage, his staff had said that he had condensed his résumé on the campaign trail and that the reporting was fueled by political bias. In a statement, Ogles acknowledged he had wrongly claimed to have earned a college degree in international relations." [Washington Post, 3/10/23]
Ogles Lied About Being An Economist. According to the Washington Post, "When Ogles was one of the holdouts to approving Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker, he claimed he was ‘an economist’ — a claim he has made several times — along with other embellishments. But NewsChannel 5 in Nashville found that he had taken only one course in economics, at a community college, and received a C. Ogles first entered college in 1990 and did not get a degree until 2007." [Washington Post, 3/10/23]
Ogles Lied On His Résumé About His Time At Franklin Investment & Holding And About Being Executive Vice President Of E.Net Media & Consultancy. According to Mother Jones, "Later, on a 2009 résumé that Ogles submitted for a job—and that was later obtained by investigative reporter Phil Williams of Nashville’s NewsChannel 5—the future congressman omitted any mention of the shop. But that résumé did claim he’d been a vice president at Franklin Investment & Holding from 1995 to 2002, where he boasted of achieving Ponzi-like ‘continued growth of 18% to 25% annually’ despite the concurrent burst of the dot-com bubble. The résumé also stated that he went on to become executive vice president at E.Net Media & Consulting. But according to the Washington Post, Franklin Investment & Holding existed for only one year, and there are no records to prove that E.Net ever did. The only other job listed was Ogles’ failed 2002 run for Congress." [Mother Jones, April 2025]
Ogles Exaggerated His Experience As A Volunteer Sheriff’s Deputy By Claiming He Was A “Former Member Of Law Enforcement.” According to Mother Jones, "When Ogles described himself at a debate as a ‘former member of law enforcement,’ voters had no reason to suspect that he’d just been a volunteer reserve sheriff’s deputy—who was kicked out for failing to show up." [Mother Jones, April 2025]
Ogles Exaggerated His Role At An Anti-Trafficking Non-Profit. According to News Channel 5, “Ogles did some work in 2011 for Abolition International, a non-profit founded by gospel artist Natalie Grant. His congressional website claims Ogles, as chief operating officer, was responsible for ‘overseeing operations and investments in 12 countries.’ ‘I began working volunteering my time,’ Ogles said on Washington Watch. ‘Then I ended up becoming chief operating officer. It was just one of those I didn't really intend to set out to be so heavily involved in the fight against human trafficking. It just kinda occurred.’ Privately, people associated with the group dispute Ogles' characterization of his role, although they were reluctant to get into a war of words with a member of Congress. In fact, the group's tax returns show Ogles held a part-time position that paid him a grand total of $4,000. ‘Wow,’ Heidi Campbell said, ‘that does not sound to me like somebody who was the COO.’” [News Channel 5, 2/16/23]
Ogles Wrote On His Résumé That He Secured A $10 Million Tax Incentive For A Film Company He Worked For Called VR Limited, But Neither The Deal Nor A Company With That Name Could Be Found In Any Records. According to the Washington Post, ‘The résumé also claims Ogles ‘secured [a] $10 million tax incentive, for film industry positioned VR Limited, to negotiate $35 to $50 million development package in Tennessee.’ But no such deal can be found in a search of Tennessee news clips, let alone a company called VR Limited in the film industry. Bob Raines, the executive director of the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, has been with TEC since 2002 and said he was unfamiliar with any such deal.’ [Washington Post, 3/10/23]
Ogles’ Résumé Claimed He ‘Developed Recruiting And Training Program To Reduce Attrition For Merrill Lynch’ And ‘Recommended Reducing Regional Districts From 19 To 12, With Projected Savings Of Up To $30 Million Annually.’ According to the Washington Post, ‘Ogles claimed that while with E. Net Media, he: ‘Developed recruiting and training program to reduce attrition for Merrill Lynch, saving up to $15 million annually.’ ‘Evaluated management structure of Merrill Lynch and recommended reducing regional districts from 19 to 12, with projected savings of up to $30 million annually.’ Neither of these statements can be verified.’ [Washington Post, 3/10/23]
Ogles Wrote On His Résumé That He Possessed The Correct Licenses To Be A Stockbroker, But He Did Not Mention Being A Stockbroker At Merrill Lynch On His Resume. According to the Washington Post, ‘As a stockbroker, Ogles would have needed to acquire Series 7 and Series 66 licenses, which are required by law. On his résumé, Ogles listed having those licenses, but he does not mention having been a stockbroker at Merrill. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners has an online record of Ogles holding an ‘insurance producer’ license for one year, from March 25, 2003, to March 24, 2004. Kevin Walters, the communications director for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, said the one-year license was for selling life and accident/health insurance.’ [Washington Post, 3/10/23]
Ogles Lied On His Résumé About Being On A Board Of Directors For The City Of Franklin, Which Did Not Have A Board Of Directors. According to Mother Jones, ‘The community work Ogles listed did not hold up, either. He claimed to be on the board of directors for the city of Franklin and the local branch of the YMCA. The city has no board of directors, and, according to the Post, he never served on the YMCA board.’ [Mother Jones, April 2025]
Ogles Lied About Serving On The Board Of Directors For The YMCA Of Franklin, But The Group’s IRS Filings Did Not List Him As A Member Of The Board And Representative Confirmed He Was Not A Member. According to the Washington Post, ‘The 2009 résumé also says Ogles served on the boards of directors of the YMCA of Franklin from 2005 to 2006, Nurses for Newborns in Tennessee from 2002 to 2007, the City of Franklin from 2004 to 2008, and something called ‘DDCA’ in Franklin from 2006 to the present. The YMCA in Franklin is a branch — not a distinct legal entity — of the Young Men’s Christian Association of Nashville & Middle Tennessee. The Association’s IRS filings for 2005 and 2006 do not show Ogles as a member of its policy/governing board. ‘Rep. Ogles wasn’t ever a member of that board,’ said Jessica P. Fain, the chief strategy officer of YMCA of Middle Tennessee.’ [Washington Post, 3/10/23]
Ogles Claimed To Have Served On The Board Of Nurses For Newborns In Nashville For Five Years, Though IRS Filings Showed Ogles Never Served On The Board Of Directors, And A Leader From The Nashville Organization Could Only Confirm Ogles Was On A ‘Nonvoting Advisory Board’ For Under One Year. According to the Washington Post, ‘Ogles claimed to have served from 2002 to 2007 on the board of Nurses for Newborns — an organization based in Missouri that has a second office in Nashville — but according to IRS filings, Ogles has never served on the board of directors. Matt Robertson, the executive director of the Tennessee office, said Ogles was a member of a nonvoting advisory board for the local office from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006.’ [Washington Post, 3/10/23]
Former Tennessee Republican Party Political Director On Ogles: “If He Is Willing To Run Around And Say, ‘Hey, I’m An Economist,’ Who Knows What Else He Is Going To Tell You That Is Not True.” “According to the New Republic, "But Randy Stamps, the former political director for the Tennessee Republican Party, slammed Ogles for the ‘level of deception’ the congressman was willing to go to. ‘If he is willing to run around and say, ‘Hey, I’m an economist,’ who knows what else he is going to tell you that is not true,’ Stamps told NewsChannel 5. Stamps had broken with his party and endorsed the Democratic candidate during the 2022 midterms because he said he found Ogles so untrustworthy." [New Republic, 2/27/23]