Madison-Rankin District Attorney Michael Guest issued the following press release.
Madison and Rankin Counties’ District Attorney Michael Guest announced today that Tonnie Carroll, Brenda Cross, Sylvester Anderson and Andre McClain pled guilty to Racketeering for their involvement in a counterfeiting ring that was operating in the metro area. Each defendant was sentenced to serve a term of 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
In August of 2015, the Madison Police Department began an investigation into a ring of individuals that were passing counterfeit United States currency to retail establishments in Madison. The members of the group would purchases items with counterfeit money and later return the items for a refund in order to receive authentic currency.
The Madison Police Department was able to obtain video of two of the individuals passing the bills and put the information out through media outlets hoping someone could help identify the suspects. After the information was released, Crime Stoppers received a call that identified both Carrol and Cross, who resided in Itta Bena, as the individuals in the video.
Investigators at the Madison Police Department contacted the Leflore County Sheriff’s Department and were able to confirm the identity of Carrol and Cross and were also able to identify a third suspect involved as being Anderson.
Warrants were issued for the arrest of all three suspects. After their arrest, law enforcement officers spoke with Carroll and Cross and both admitted to passing counterfeit money in Madison, Canton and Jackson. They also identified McClain as the ringleader and as the person who had printed the money. A warrant was issued for McClain’s arrest and he was later apprehended in Indianapolis.
Guest stated, “I am proud of the work by the Madison Police Department that led to the dismantling of a counterfeiting ring that was targeting businesses in Madison and Hinds Counties. I want to thank the Leflore County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in helping us identify and apprehend several suspects in our case. These convictions are yet another example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies work together.”
Guest added, “The convictions for racketeering would have not been possible without Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers is an outstanding organization that is dedicated to assisting law enforcement in the investigation and apprehension of criminal suspects. The involvement of the media, Crime Stoppers and the public led to the information needed to identify, arrest and prosecute these four defendants.”
Guest concluded, “The defendants were indicted for racketeering after evidence was presented that they acted in conjunction with one another to engage in a series of illegal acts to defraud the business community in our area. I hope that the convictions and sentences will serve as a deterrent to others that may consider preying on the businesses or citizens of Madison County.”
District Attorney Michael Guest was sworn into office in January 2008 and represents the Twentieth Judicial District, Madison and Rankin Counties. For more information regarding the District Attorney’s office, follow us on Facebook, download our app or please visit www.daguest.com.
Defendants:
Name: Tonnie Carroll
Address: 224 Lincoln Street, Itta Bena
Date of Birth: December 19, 1967
Name: Brenda Cross
Address: 224 Lincoln Street, Itta Bena
Date of Birth: December 24, 1974
Name: Sylvester Anderson
Address: 209 Roosevelt Street, Itta Bena
Date of Birth: August 31, 1977
Name: Andre McClain
Address: 2728 Sharon Lane, Greenville
Date of Birth: December 18, 1975
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Counterfeit ring gets to make a different sort of engraving.... for 20 years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
I would encourage anyone to look at a Google street view of the addresses given. I don't know what in the world these people were spending their ill-gotten gains upon (>cough< drugs >cough<) but it sure as hell wasn't housing.
Michael Guest Great Job! Atleast the thugs get hammered over here. Go to Hinds and you get time served for murder and you people wonder why Jackson is a shot hole. Yes we have our problem but the difference is..... we deal with them. But in all reality when your DA is crooked not much you can do since you are the leader....
Dumb criminals. Dont do this in madison county. Commit this crime in jackson and you never even get arrested.
7:02 you must be fooling yourself? 20 years for counterfeit money? I'm willing to bet you they where black. Show me a case where michael guest has prosecuted a white defendant that has received more than 8 years and thats for ANY type of crime.
Wasn't long ago D.A. Guest laid down like a near 50 year sentence on some college age kid caught dealing LSD or the sorts? What was his race?
@ 11:17 I believe he had some "brown" - either Middle Eastern or Indian - not the woo woo type.
In all seriousness, essentially calling D.A. Guest racist because he is tough on crime is definitely the thoughts of most apologetic Fondren/Belhaven/JFP types.
@9:36 District Attorney Michael Guest does not have a racist bone in his body! You would only say something so untrue anonymously. He is tough on ALL crime.
2:52pm, why are you surprised? It's almost always drugs that provides the motivation to commit crimes.
Maybe now that everyone in the country is wringing their hands over the heroin/opiod abuse issues, we can focus on doing something about drug abuse. Or not. Just keep arresting them. That policy has worked so well.
Well, drugs are illegal to give people a hint that they are bad. Then there is the evidence that they are bad that you can learn through basic observation and education. Then there are people who choose to start using them anyway. Thus starts a sad downward spiral that is completely preventable by not starting them in the first place, which is a choice that people make despite knowing that it is illegal...
1:11pm, not sure what your point is. Yes, drugs are illegal. But that hasn't stopped what appears to be a majority of people, or at least a very significant minority of people, from using them. And it's all walks of life use drugs, from the hoity toity of the River Hills Club set to the dirtiest Capitol St crack head.
Pitt Panther is a piece of work.
While questioning the point someone else seems to have not made, Pitt deflects, engages in fallacy and attempts to make a point that this story is not about greed and criminals printing money, but is ultimately and certainly about drugs and drug usage and therefore must be about the senseless arrest of people who use or sell drugs illegally.
So, after having been set straight by 'da panther' we realize our personal and societal guilt and wring our hands over the incarceration of people who do nothing worse than toking a little weed.
I'm left wondering if Pitt Panther and Tomie Green had the same mother and early childhood mentor. That must be it! How else could two people reach such similar conclusions regarding society's misfits who won't follow our laws?
Pitt, my point is this crazy thing called taking responsibility for your very own life choices. That's what drugs are. Breaking the law is a choice too with easy to understand consequences. If your point is geared toward prison reform then yeah, let's start by cleaning those up prior to adding additional services and then see if we can save some of my tax dollars by rehabilitating rather than providing a drug and cell phone haven mixed with straight lockup...
Post a Comment