State Bean-Counter Shad White issued the following statement.
Today State Auditor Shad White announced that former Holmes County Consolidated School District Superintendent James Henderson, former Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Peoples, and four former school board members (Anthony Anderson, Louise Winters, April Jones, and Elder Dean) were issued demand letters resulting from audit findings released in December 2020.
The demands are as followed:
James Henderson – $90,677.18
Cheryl Peoples – $46,937.68
April Jones – $13,523.89
“I appreciate the joint efforts of both the audit team and the investigative team who worked on this case in my office,” said Auditor Shad White. “We are demanding this money back on behalf of the students and taxpayers of Holmes County who deserve to have their money spent in the way that the law requires.”
Notable findings from the audit that led to an investigation include:
· The district paid over $4,200 for a party to celebrate the passage of a bond issue Holmes County voters ultimately rejected. The event was described as a “parent’s night out” and “adults only,” and attendees were encouraged to bring “your preferred beverage.”
· The former superintendent was paid a $170,000 salary despite the school board only voting to pay him a $160,000 salary. The district also paid the former superintendent for relocation expenses in excess of the amount allowed by state law.
· Auditors identified payments made to companies owned by the former superintendent’s relatives. These purchases totaled $14,000.
· A district credit card was used without school board authorization. Auditors identified 22 purchases made with this card without appropriate documentation. These transactions totaled over $12,000.
A surety bond covers each individual. A surety bond is similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers in the event that public money is misspent. Each individual will remain liable for the full amounts of their demands.
Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online at any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.
45 comments:
Mississippi wouldn’t be ranked 50th worst state in the union if we had a few more Shad’s working for people.
Holmes Co. has roughly 2,600 students. And the Superintendent makes $160k? Wow.
The "superintendents" scam is obscene. Too many districts, too many administrators slopping at the trough.
Still going after the folks in the sticks but refuses to go after Phil
Shad reels in more small fry, Mississippi style!
Meantime back at the bigwig ranch it's time to see what's shaking.
A certain former duputy might just sweating a certain subpoena recently served to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation.
any of its communication with former Gov. Phil Bryant and his wife Deborah Bryant
@2:47
61 cents a student
Shad’s not going after Phil. Get over it….he’s not the 2nd Coming many of you clamor for.
Shad’s got his own problems now and better be concerned about his own ass.
This is the Feds show now.
Things I learned in 2022
If you are an elected official form nowhere Mississippi, the Auditor's resources will be used to the max.
If you are a former Governor, former State Auditor, or City of Jackson Official, you get a free pass.
Or Stacey Pickering. Per WLBT:
In all, we found 205 days for which Pickering should have utilized leave but did not, adding up to more than $118,260 he was paid when it appears he was doing other things.
$4,200 for a party, hell Shad go check the invoices at the airport they paid someone almost $15,000 to pass out Halloween candy last October.
Surley you wouldn't suggest paying a "Doctor" less than $160K a year. 170 is barely enough...
3:30 check your math , that’s $61.00/ student. And you went to school where?
@3:30 - may want to check your math again.
3:30 is either a graduate of Holmes Co Public Schools or a superintendent. Must be new math.
2:44, Shad does press releases and speaking engagements. The staff is doing all of the work, and kudos to them. About like Lynn Fitch getting Roe overturned. Yeah, right.
3:30 - maybe a graduate of the Holmes County School, surely an A rated facility.
Looks like the math course you took up there that they gave you a flying pass because you enrolled didn't teach you about the proper placement of decimal points when doing that long division stuff.
Also, the logic course must have been full, or else you would have learned a little common sense logic - when the divisor is smaller than the number being divided - the result would be a whole number, not a decimal. (cents is the key work, that is a fraction of a dollar)
But thanks. Always interesting to see how the other half thinks - or doesn't
I used to think that Louisiana was the most corrupt state, but they look like the Vatican compared to Mississippi.
If the federal welfare police come for Phil can Tater pardon him?
What about the civil clawback? Can Tater get that undone with a pardon or two?
asking for a friend who didn't have the backone to get them stars and bars off the state flag!
Like JPS and other failing school districts, Holmes is trying to stay competitive with the largest most successful districts. They always begin with administrator's salaries. Very competitive. Seems like things start bogging down after that.
$4,200 for a party, hell Shad go check the invoices at the airport they paid someone almost $15,000 to pass out Halloween candy last October.
And the travel reports from the Paris Air Show are still being hidden. Right?
Oooo la la.......
That $160,000 could buy a lot of classroom supplies. Does he also get a luxury car and reserved parking spot?
Is there any public official not stealing?
Howdy Dowdy White will do everything he can to try and stop people from wondering how long he’s gonna be able to protect mentor PhilBilly.
It ain’t working. You’re as crooked as he is!
A MS governor and legislature with cojones, not tacos, would slash the number of counties in half, thereby reducing both bureaucratic cost and graft dramatically.
But they're mostly wusses.
A diversion to take away attention from the $94 million stolen by Phil's GOP cronies.
PhilBilly, Mrs. PhilBilly, Nancy New and John Davis are four people too stupid to realize that even Shad White could smell something fishy about that DHS budget. The other pigs at the trough (Farve, DiBiase, Nancy's baby boys, ...) are apparently equally dull knives in the drawer. Of course, Shad was too stupid to nail Philbilly when he had the chance, so he will look like a fool/good ole boy when Nancy spews the facts.
Feds are gonna drop a hammer on Shad. Phil’s toast. Watch Phil start blaming Shad and Shad will blame Phil.
Now, Lynn is all up in the middle of something she hasn’t taken the time to fully vet. She’ll end up looking like a fool before long.
The wrong people have been targeted here. Watch.
This isn’t rocket science. Nancy plead and there is clearly a Federal investigation ongoing. She obviously has valuable information. Here we are 2-1/2 years later, and she still hasn’t said much. Her recent allegations in the civil suit are somewhat telling and appear consistent with MS Today reporting.
Phil f’ed up giving that interview which all but confirms his involvement.
What I want to know is did Shad know about Phil’s involvement and try to hide it? If he didn’t know about Phil’s involvement and the emails, text messages, etc., does that indicate he oversaw a half ass investigation? The way I see it, he’s either complicit or incompetent when it come to high level investigations. Either way, he’s got problems.
Heads are gonna roll soon.
So the admitted felon will “spew the facts”.
How gullible can you be?
As already referenced above young Shadrack's on the record comments about why he can't say diddly about former Auditor Pickering's former situation are hilariously stoopid,
link: https://www.wlbt.com/2022/06/09/3-your-side-investigates-state-affairs/
@9:09 - people can only fight the government for so long. It looks to me like Nancy got a pretty sweet deal all things considered. It’s clear there is more to the story than what we’ve all been told. Our opinions don’t matter. The Fed’s does.
The way I see it, he’s either complicit or incompetent when it come to high level investigations. Either way, he’s got problems.
I'm not seeing why a person has to pick only one here.
I'm kind of hoping when the feds pull the curtain back it's revealed he was complicit AND incompetent.
Look at the team already indicted and/or subject to clawback; why would anyone think the bench and management are any better?
Shad’s career in public office is toast. Even staunch long time MSGOP’s can read the writing on the wall. Pathetic, hitching up to the wrong mule at best. Better jump into the private practice wagon while he still can. His handling of Bryant and Pickering scandals have certainly destroyed any chance for higher office.
It’s going to be funny when the same people Phil and Shad tried to hang this entire “scheme” on are the same ones who bring them both down.
Aren’t these people all supposed to be Christians?
All you anonymous nobodies don’t know jack.
Hopefully the IRS is aware of these thefts which amount to unreported income.
I do know Jack. He lives two houses down from us. Super nice guy, and throws a hell of a BBQ.
Nice deflection from the subject thread about Holmes County. See Shad, no one gives a damn about the small things. You’ve over played your hand, boy.
Hopefully your replacement will do a better job.
You know a lot of these folks stay in Church for most of the Day on Sunday....
Shad has a better chance of turning water into wine than he does collecting that money.
The IHL Board and the AG APPROVED the misspent $5,000,000 to USM and the $1.1MM to Favre from TANF funds. Shad went after the Holmes County School Board and Supe above PERSONALLY. Will he go after the IHL Board and AG personally here as well?
Heads will not roll. Public officials in the sip are above the law.
I wonder if former Auditor Stacey Pickering has any thoughts about bad timing?
Right when he could use some desultory 'investigating' and slow roll stalling fro Auditor Shad, it seems like Auditor Shad might be running low on indulgences to give to former Auditors in need.
Matter of fact, it's possible Auditor Shad has already got that indulgences for former Auditors line item overspent just with the former Auditor (and reported whistleblower!) Phil and all the TANF friends. The feds will probably audit on that line item for Auditor Shad AND Auditor Phil with the next indictments they unseal.
Anyhow, Auditor Stacey might have been floating a whole lotta checks now coming due with all them Veteran's Affairs affairs he allegedly had.
Also the average person might not be aware that those two Veteran's Affairs employees might really have been having the counseling sessions of some sort the two of them allegedly were having for "hours at a time" in his office behind a closed locked door!
Pickering is a seventh-generation Mississippian, reared in the Hebron community of Jones County on the family dairy farm. He graduated from West Jones High School as a National 4-H scholarship winner and continued his education at Jones County Junior College. He furthered his educational career by earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and a master's degree in marriage and family counseling in 1993 from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Hopefully Phil and Shad can audit the inside of a shared cell soon. Federal charges would be preferable as Tater would surely give them both get out of jail free cards.
Post a Comment