State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement.
Today in a press conference State Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested Mardis Jones after he was indicted for fraud and embezzling public money in Tunica County. A $1,081,143.07 demand letter was issued to Jones upon his arrest. This amount represents the second-largest demand in a criminal case in the history of the Auditor’s office and includes both interest and investigative expenses.
Jones was Executive Director of Tunica County Housing Incorporated (TCHI), a private organization responsible for operating a program to rehabilitate dilapidated homes owned by low-income county residents. The program is funded by the Tunica County Board of Supervisors. The county called for Jones to take applications from local homeowners and connect them with contractors for home repairs. Jones then submitted funding requests to the Board of Supervisors to pay the contractors. Instead of making all the required payments to the contractors, though, Jones is accused of embezzling from the program. Investigators determined less than 20% of the nearly $2 million transferred to TCHI was actually paid to contractors for rehabilitation work on homes. Jones allegedly embezzled over $750,000 from the program.
The Auditor’s office began an investigation when a complaint was submitted by the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER). After Jones and the program were highlighted in national news stories, PEER conducted a study to measure the program’s success. PEER analysts noticed strange money transfers initiated by Jones and reported them to the Auditor’s office.
“While this case is a good example of state government officials working together to uncover fraud and hold the perpetrator accountable, I can’t help but be discouraged when another program intended to help the poor is stolen from. Once again, an arm of government trusted a private organization to run a government program, and a large percentage of the program’s spending was flat out stolen,” said Auditor White.
Jones surrendered to Special Agents at the Tunica County Jail. His bond was set at $50,000 by the court. If convicted, Jones faces up to 40 years in prison and $45,000 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 Attorney General Lynn Fitch.
Kingfish note: Hmmm..... Where have we heard of this guy before? Oh yes, the Washington ____ pondered whether Tunica County squandered its casino windfall.
Mr. Jones figured prominently in the story albeit now in a suspicious way:
Engle-Harris was traveling to her godson’s basketball game when she got a call from Mardis Jones, the county housing coordinator. Engle-Harris was hoping for good news after submitting her application and making a plea for assistance.
Already, Jones and other Tunica officials had visited her house, examining the sloped kitchen shelves, the bedroom doors that wouldn’t close, the wood wedged under the toilet to keep it in place. They had watched how Engle-Harris and her mentally disabled brother, who also lived there, hopscotched across the firm parts of the floor, fearful that one wrong step would tear the plywood like a piece of Kleenex. “Not livable,” Jones had concluded, later telling others. “An immediate need. … Messed up.”
But here, Jones had only an apology.
“We have a huge waiting list,” he recalled telling Engle-Harris, “and the board doesn’t want me to move you ahead of the others. . . .
“You’re looking at a wait of about five years to get assistance. . . .
“It’s not my call. The money is shorting up. . . .
“I wish I could do more.”
Short, indeed.
30 comments:
At least this fine Christian set his sights high. Unlike the poor devils that risk life and limb stealing a trailer. Who knows, perhaps he found a way to stash some of the booty. Perhaps in bitcoins bought cheaply back when. Or maybe in Gulf coast real estate after the housing bubble burst. It will have appreciated nicely by when he gets out of custody.
Then again maybe not.
Hey, he's working -- which is more than one can say for many.
Mississippi is like a damn third world country. The only reason we have anything is because Florida, California, Texas, and New York taxpayers pay for it. We suck on the US Gov teat like so many foreign “allies” with names nobody can remember.
It NEVER stops-
Tunica County is still very much a part of the old plantation system. The poor who make up the bulk of the population have been victimized from slavery to the present and have no effective advocates. The casinos were just fools gold and ultimately only provide a "windfall" to the established ruling class and a few opportunists gaming the system. Most residents are too unsophisticated and ignorant of finance or politics to effectively represent their own interest so they put their trust in young "educated" guys like this thief to help them. He knows their weakness and takes advantage. It's happened plenty. I hope this slows it down. Easy pickin's Shad.
Isn't this the same scheme that put the good reverend Fairly in Hattiesburg, away for a few years.
As someone stated, does this shit ever end. You'd think people would learn.
I can't wait to see what this cat spent the money on. Craps, blow, hookers? You just know there isn't one penny to be found.
10:10 I can guarantee that you, or an immediately family member, has been or will also be on that federal tit at some point in your life.
10:39, sort of. There has been a running TON of money piped into the county from casinos and other low income projects. There is not one white person in charge in Tunica County. Hell, they repaved all of the gravel farm roads because they were running out of places to spend the money. I bet now they are wishing they had stuck some back. The casinos are all but dried up. There's not but a few operating and they are run on a razor thin budget with no casino "perks". When casinos aren't making money, you know things are going bad for them. That whole casino row looks like the set for Walking Dead. Its not the "plantation system", but rather the patients are running the asylum. They have been for years. Don't try to blame this one whitey, because that's not what's going on in Tunica.
The good Mayor of Moss Point who got caught stealing funds for the needy will get no time. The prosecutors recommended probation.
Can we ask Nancy Loome for comment? She's go-to for everything and I'm sure this must impact education funding in some arcane, hackneyed or remote way. Maybe she can also comment on behalf of the 'rank-and-file' in the MS House since she is so tied into the goings on there?
@11:38
Your comment would seem more clever if I hadn’t clearly and repeatedly said “We” in my comment.
12:06 Perhaps a more apt description might be "plantation culture". The people you say are "in charge" have no economic underpinning other than the
very basic or menial jobs provided by the casinos. The others having the education or resources to go left long ago for Memphis or anyplace else. What's left are people still economically dependent on the same ole plantation bosses and government programs. They wind up paying others to provide all the services that TON of money bought. See who "paved those roads". See who actually made the money. This thief saw those "other folks" getting rich on that ton of money and thought he could do the same. Guess who the "other folks" are? Plantation culture.
And during this trial some DS teen in Pearl decides to show how he can out think the oil ice. Guess he doesn’t know the size of the Cottonmouth Snakes in that area! It maybe too late when LEO’s find him!🥵🤷🏾♂️🦎🚁🚓
Reading that W-P article was truly sickening, especially with the hindsight of this new development. He told the woman the renovation assistance budget was so stretched he had a 5-year waiting list. The GALL. I hope they read the article out loud at his trial.
“The county hadn’t renovated a single home since June 2014, given the budget uncertainty, and Jones still had 97 other people ahead of Engle-Harris on a housing list that was only growing.”
You really have to hope there’s a special place in hell.
Should we just start shooting these people? Seriously, steal funds and you get shot (I don't care what gender or race you are). I'm beginning to think that is the only solution
Can we ask Nancy Loome for comment? She's go-to for everything ...
Right on. The Parents' Campaign, a 'grass roots' organization, that paid Loome over $100,000 in salary 2019 AND also pays her to lobby the legislature. Yup, that's grass roots. When, truth be told, like Mississippi Today the Parents' Campaign and Loome are nothing more than Barksdale mouthpieces pushing the Donkeycrat agenda in Mississippi.
As much as he stole, $50,000.00 bail should be no problem.
Where's CBS and the "60 Minutes" crew ?
Back in the 80's they came down to Tunica and made a big fuss over "Sugar Ditch".
Oh . . . I forgot . . . a White man owned that land.
(But as many of his residents tore up anything he repaired . . . and still screamed racism about their condition . . . the national media saw an another "story").
12:23
You must be in the Senate?? I’m in the House I promise we don’t want her!!! Loon
Does Brett Favre still have his money?
King, was the largest demand letter the $96 million to Dirty Nancy and the Boys?
What's the latest on the DMR restitution?
I hear there is some more controversy. Also a contempt of court.
No matter what the State Auditor does or what results he produces, there's always that same clown chirping about 'low hanging fruit' and meaningless recoveries.
Meanwhile, the last Auditor was helping Rudy Warnock search for his balls near the sixth green in Canton.
LOL LOL LOL
12:23
Just yesterday heard Nancy Loon on the radio talking 'bout the rank and file being upset about the income tax bill.
She must be some real insider.
Waiting for Shad to hit Canton. I can hear it now. Truly will be like Curley from the Three Stooges saying, "Hey Moe, Hey Larry, I'm a victim of circumstances".
9:29 - NEWSFLASH! When Shad arrives aboard the Black Window SUV in Canton, his first stop ain't gonna be City Hall, but, yes, it's on the map.
Shad always attaches a bullshit investigation fee equal to the inflated amount. A real show off!
Even though this is very significant.....all of Shad's city, county, low-level shit is merely to distract away from the billions being channeled through the IHL without oversight. He's quite likely been warned to steer attention away from it.
It's very interesting to place comments on this thread alongside those where people of white descent have been arrested for embezzling government funds. My oh My what a difference a skin color makes! Yes I said it, and don't care nothing about it.! Ya'll should look at yourselves sometimes and ask yourself "Is my racist flag flying high on the pole"? LOL!!!!!
For the record I think they all ought to burn in hell for stealing from US.
Post a Comment