JACKSON- Following an investigation by State Auditor Stacey Pickering’s Office, Samantha Boutwell was indicted on the charge of embezzlement over $500.

The indictment was served on March 27, 2008. Following a guilty plea, she was sentenced to eight years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with eight years suspended and five years unsupervised probation. Boutwell was ordered to make restitution of $11,427.57. The amount was paid in full at a court appearance in the Circuit Court of Lauderdale County on Monday, January 26, 2009.

Boutwell, 43, served as the deputy circuit clerk from March 1995 – August 2007 in the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk’s office. She pled guilty to embezzling $6,361 in marriage license fees. In addition to the embezzled funds, $1,257.38 was incurred in interest and $3,809.19 in investigative expenses.

“This embezzlement took place from 2005 – 2007 according to our investigation,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “I appreciate our agent assigned to the case and District Attorney Bilbo Mitchell for their work on bringing this case to a resolution. We are fortunate in these tough economic times to be able to return the demanded amount to the taxpayers of Lauderdale County.”

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