Auditor Arrests Mayor of Aberdeen for Embezzlement

JACKSON, Miss. – Today Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested Mayor Maurice Howard of Aberdeen after he was indicted for 5 counts of embezzlement by a grand jury assembled by District Attorney John Weddle. A demand letter worth $11,649.34 was delivered to Howard at the time of his arrest. Interest and investigative costs are included in the demand amount.
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Auditor Arrests Former District Attorney Employee and Former Deputy Tax Collector After Separate Investigations

JACKSON, Miss. – Today Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested former Pearl River County Deputy Tax Collector Stacy Treadaway and Joseph Edney, former investigator for the 11th Circuit Court District Attorney.
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Auditor’s Report Shows Disregard for Cyber Security in State Government

JACKSON, Miss. – Several state agencies, boards, commissions, and universities are failing to adhere to state cyber security laws, leaving Mississippians’ personal data vulnerable to hackers. According to survey results published in a report from the Office of State Auditor Shad White, many state entities are operating like state and federal cyber security laws do not apply to them.
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Auditor Arrests Supervisor in Newton County

JACKSON, Miss. – Today Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested Newton County Supervisor Glenn Hollingsworth after he was indicted for fraudulently obtaining public funds by a grand jury assembled by District Attorney for the 8th District Steven S. Kilgore. A demand letter worth $7,984.02 was issued to Hollingsworth at the time of his arrest. The total demand amount includes accrued interest and the cost of the investigation.
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Auditor Finds Documentation Issues at Blues Commission

Report recommends abolishing commission and assigning its responsibilities to nonprofit organization

JACKSON, Miss. – A performance audit released today by State Auditor Shad White found the Mississippi Blues Commission could not upon request provide proper documentation for millions of dollars of expenditures.
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Former Wayne County Justice Court Clerk Arrested for Embezzlement

JACKSON, Miss. – Today Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested former Wayne County Justice Court Clerk Christy James after she was indicted for embezzlement by a grand jury assembled by District Attorney for the 10th District Kassie Coleman. A demand letter worth $51,531.80 was delivered to James at the time of her arrest. The demand amount includes investigative costs and all accrued interest.
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Auditor Makes Two Arrests in Separate Embezzlement Cases

JACKSON, Miss. – Today Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested former City of Philadelphia Court Clerk Karen Refre and former City Clerk of Okolona Rebecca Moore after both were indicted for embezzlement in separate cases. A demand letter worth $25,746.59 was issued to Refre at the time of her surrender, and a demand worth $17,295.57 was delivered to Moore before she was transported to prison. Each demand amount includes investigative costs and accrued interest.
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State Auditor Finds Alarming Business Practices at Hinds County School District

JACKSON, Miss. – Today Auditor Shad White announced his office uncovered alarming business practices at the Hinds County School District during a routine audit. Auditors found poor controls over the district credit cards and bank accounts which had not been reconciled in nearly a year. Additionally, spending records were destroyed before they were reviewed, and the district failed to adhere to some purchasing laws. Most concerning is a finding showing an assistant superintendent is responsible for more than $50,000 in improper expenditures.
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Auditor’s Office Returns Over $160,000 to Taxpayers in July

JACKSON, Miss. – Today State Auditor Shad White announced his office returned over $160,000 to Mississippi taxpayers last month after previous investigations by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor determined public funds were stolen or misused. Significant amounts were recovered from demands to William “Bill” Walker and George Nangah.
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Auditor’s Annual Report Shows Busy Year for Recovering Public Money

JACKSON, Miss. – State Auditor Shad White today announced the release of an annual report listing the instances of misappropriation, misspending, or theft of public funds over the last fiscal year. The Audit Exceptions Report for Fiscal Year 2019 shows the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor issued 64 formal demands – 24 more than the previous year – and identified over $4.6 million to be returned to taxpayers.
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