State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement.
State Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office arrested former Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District clerk Brandy Russell after she was indicted for embezzlement by a grand jury assembled by District Attorney Hal Kittrell. A demand letter was issued to Russell when she was arrested.
Russell is accused of using conservation district accounts to pay herself for bogus travel reimbursement requests, purchase her own groceries, and write checks directly to herself for cash. After her scheme was discovered, she repaid the conservation district $10,260 and her employment was terminated. However, after the incident was reported to the Auditor’s office, investigators identified additional taxpayer loss, so a demand letter – including interest and investigative expense – worth $8,733.05 was issued to Russell at the time of her arrest.
“The Auditor’s office will continue to hold those who take public money accountable at every level, from large state agencies down to soil and water conservation districts,” said Auditor White. “Thank you to the agents in my office who worked this case and put a stop to the theft.”
Russell surrendered to Special Agents at the Lawrence County Jail yesterday. Her bond was set at $10,000 by the court, and she has since been released from custody.
If convicted, Russell faces up to 10 years in prison and $5,000 in fines. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case will be prosecuted by the office of District Attorney Kittrell.
A $10,000 surety bond covers Russell’s time as a clerk at the Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District. A surety bond is similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption. Russell will remain liable for the full amount of the demand in addition to criminal proceedings. Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.
13 comments:
Go Mr. Shad! Mr. Shad for AG next time around!
Nice shirt....
Since when are those arrested allowed to wear their Bubba cap for their mugshot????
@1:10 PM - they aren't, but the moron jailer was probably texting.
If the person pays back the money in full, why continue pressing charges? its going to cost more to house and feed the person than what they embezzled.
"its going to cost more to house and feed the person than what they embezzled".
It might be a little cheaper to house her, but I'm not so sure about the feed costs.
@3:35 PM - that amounts to "rewarding bad behavior." Look it up, I'll wait.
The Attorney General position has become nothing but a social services platform for the next RINO in line running for higher office, and that won't prosecute anyone important in MS for fear of upsetting their connections, donors, etc.
If Shad White were AG, it might revolutionize what the position is truly about, and take down the corrupt BS framework that is supposed to be representing the citizens of Mississippi, and NOT a small group of BS artists and closet racists who claim to be Republican.
8:14 - Other than the last one, which attorneys general have run for higher office?
@11:55am None - you're right - but there's a first time for everything.....and you can connect the dots. If the last "flight" of white Mississippi retreads that merely moved up/around isn't enough proof, you're brain dead.
Lt.Gov to Gov
SOS to Lt.Gov
Treasury to AG
State Rep - Commissioner - take your pick.
State Aud - up, up....
It's been like this for years, and everyone knows it. If Haley Barbour hadn't appointed Fitch as window dressing, she wouldn't even be in the mix.
Wonder what she did for Boss Hogg that won his favor...? Hmmmmmm.
8:43 - Go to the back of the class. Your claim was that the job of AG was a springboard to running for higher office. You got called out and could not produce. In short, you were wrong. Own it.
Hold on, Spud. Mr. Moore ran for Congress while AG and got clobbered. That pic of him kneeling didn't help his cause.
Ed Pittman ran for Governor as did Bill Allain.
So yes, 4 AG's in a row ran for higher office while AG. However, Moore and Hood only did it once so I can understand why it seems as if it doesn't happen.
She was just warming up for her 13th check.
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