JACKSON, Miss. – Today State Auditor Shad White announced former District Secretary for the Holmes County Water and Soil Conservation District Melissa Upchurch has pled guilty to Embezzlement. Upchurch was arrested by agents in June 2023 and was served with a $48,160.08 demand letter.

Upchurch is guilty of issuing and then depositing district checks into her bank account from June 2020 to September 2022.

“Thank you to the investigators who worked this matter,” said State Auditor Shad White. “We’ve now recovered more taxpayer money in the last five years than any other five-year period in the history of the office, and we’re not stopping.”

Upchurch was sentenced by the Holmes County Circuit Court to 5 years of house arrest, 5 years of supervised probation, followed by 5 years of unsupervised probation, and ordered to pay restitution and fines.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online at any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.