Jackson, Miss – Special Agents from the State Auditor’s Office have served Benjie Coats with a demand totaling $39,341.50. Coats, the former County Administrator for Neshoba County, was indicted on one count of fraud in September.
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Jackson, Miss – The Office of the State Auditor has released its report on the contractual and shared services within Mississippi’s K-12 public school districts today. The focus of this report is to answer the question of efficiency related to contracts and shared services in K-12 public schools.
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JACKSON, Miss. – Special Agents from the State Auditor’s Office served Jerry Howard with a formal demand in the amount of $157,385.40, and was served with a 4 count Forrest County Grand Jury capias indictment for embezzlement. Howard, 51, is the former Cafeteria Manager at the Youth ChalleNGe Academy at Camp Shelby. The Youth ChalleNGe Academy is part of the National Guard Youth Guard Program and serves at-risk male and female youth ages 16-18.
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Jackson, Miss – Special Agents from the State Auditor’s Office have arrested and served a demand for $3,671.10 to Kenyatta Smith, former Health Information Clerk for the Washington County Health Department. Smith was indicted on one count of embezzlement by a Washington County Grand Jury.
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Corinth, Miss-Joseph Lin McNair, Jr, Alcorn county vendor, pled guilty to false representation to defraud government. McNair received 5 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, placement in the MDOC intensive supervision program, followed by 4 years of post-release supervision, $5,000 in fines, and court costs in the amount of $631.50.
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Corinth, Miss-William Paul Rhodes former Alcorn County Purchasing clerk, pled guilty to hindering prosecution, fraudulently obtaining public funds, and false representation to defraud government. Rhodes received 15 years in the custody of the MDOC with 10 of those years suspended, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision, restitution in the amount of $72, 466.28, $5,000 in fines, and court costs in the amount of $1,894.50.
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Corinth, Miss –Former Alcorn County Supervisor, Jimmy Dallan Nelms pled guilty to false representation to defraud government, fraudulently obtaining public funds, and embezzlement. Nelms, already in custody after his bond was revoked in an unrelated arrest, pled guilty before Circuit Judge Paul Funderburk. Nelms received 30 years in the custody of the MS Department of Corrections (MDOC) with 18 of those years suspended and 12 years to serve followed by 5 years of post-release supervision, and restitution in the amount of $308, 244.71, $5,000 in fines, and court costs in the amount of $3,157.50.
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RELEASED ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015

United States Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Mississippi

Jackson, Miss – Irb Benjamin, 69, of Madison, and Sam Waggoner, 61, of Carthage, were charged today with paying bribes and kickbacks to former Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner (MDOC) Christopher B. Epps in exchange for receiving contracts involving the MDOC and its operations, announced Acting United States Attorney Harold Brittain, FBI Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Donald Alway, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Jerome McDuffie, U.S. Postal Inspector Robert Wemyss, and Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering.
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Jackson, Miss –State Auditor Special Agents arrested former Town Clerk of Gunnison, Marquita Payne. Payne was also served with a demand today totaling $70, 392.66.
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