JACKSON, Miss. – State Auditor Shad White announced today that George Nangah, former Town Clerk of Coldwater, was arrested by local law enforcement in Tunica County after a joint investigation between the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor and federal agencies. Nangah faces a federal indictment of multiple counts of wire fraud. He was also issued a demand for $302,973.19 from the Auditor’s office.

Mr. Nangah was born “Ekese Awah Nangah” and has used multiple aliases. He was Town Clerk in Coldwater from April 2014 until July 2017. During this time, he made over $116,000 in unapproved purchases for items such as a GoPro camera and gift cards for airline tickets and hotels. Many of these purchases were made by town debit cards or invoice accounts at local Lowe’s Home Improvement and Best Buy stores. Nangah also issued over $46,000 in unapproved payments directly to himself and over $53,000 to another individual in a kickback scheme.

The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor will deliver the case to the District Attorney for the Mississippi 17th District, John Champion, to secure an indictment for embezzlement.

State Auditor Shad White said, “We will crack down on any embezzlement at any level of government. But embezzlement is even more troubling when it involves a large amount of cash and is perpetrated by someone with potential violations of federal and state law hanging over their head. I’m glad we were able to partner with federal authorities to make sure Nangah was apprehended and brought to justice. I look forward to working with either state or federal prosecutors to make sure Nangah is held accountable.”