JACKSON- Jim M Greenlee, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, Frederick T. Brink, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Mississippi, and Stacey Pickering, Mississippi State Auditor announced that:

James A. Draper, 59, of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, was sentenced Friday, October 31, by Chief U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills in Oxford, Mississippi. Draper had been previously convicted in a jury trial of interstate transportation of money obtained by fraud and money laundering. The case was a part of Mississippi Beef Processors investigation. Draper was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $187,725 in restitution to the State of Mississippi. Draper was also sentenced to 3 years supervised release following the term of imprisonment. Draper was allowed to remain free on bond to voluntarily surrender for service of sentence to begin on January 5, 2009.

Mississippi State Auditor Stacey Pickering stated:

“I am pleased to continue to see closure in the Mississippi Beef Processors case. The case was a successful joint effort on behalf of the State Auditor’s, the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office, and I appreciate the work by all parties involved in representing the interests of taxpayers in Mississippi.”

Frederick T. Brink, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation stated:

“This sentencing represents another step toward justice for the citizens of Mississippi in the Beef Processors investigation and it results from the successful teamwork of the State Auditor’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District, and the Jackson Division of the FBI.”

Contact:

John Marshall Alexander, Chief of Criminal Division, United States Attorney’s Office,
Oxford, Mississippi (662) 234-3351
Deborah Madden, Media Contact for FBI, (601) 948-5000
Lisa Shoemaker, Spokesperson for the Office of the State Auditor, (601) 276-7645

###