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 Nelms, already in custody after his bond was revoked in an unrelated arrest, pled guilty before Circuit Judge Paul Funderburk.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.
Alcorn County vendor, Jimmy Ray Mitchell pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining public funds and false representation to defraud government. Mitchell received 5 years in the custody of MDOC, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $95,382.35, placement in the MDOC intensive supervision program, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision, $5,000 in fines which are suspended, and court costs in the amount of $1,263.00.
“Uncovering deep rooted public corruption like this is why I wanted to be your State Auditor,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “The people of Mississippi deserve to feel confident in their government. There are individuals in this state who have no problem taking hard-earned, tax-payer dollars and spending them for their own pleasure. I hope the sentencing of these individuals serves as a wake-up call for those who are betraying their public oaths: We will uncover the truth, and violators will be held accountable.”
“The pleas of guilty today reveal the dedication by our office to prosecute public officials in our district who steal taxpayer dollars,” said District Attorney John Weddle. Weddle stated, “For months I’ve been speaking with people in Alcorn County who are deeply concerned about long-standing corruption. I am proud of the cooperation between our office and the State Auditor, and I am happy for law-abiding Alcorn County citizens who had the courage to stand with us to indict these corrupt officials.”
Two additional defendants are scheduled to appear before Judge Funderburk at 2:30pm this afternoon, and one additional defendant is scheduled to plea tomorrow.