State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement.
Today State Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have served two individuals in Marshall County with demand letters and indictments after local grand jury proceedings. Dana Walker, a former high school secretary, and Amanda McDonald, a former library director, are both accused of embezzlement in separate cases. Walker was served with a $53,594.68 demand letter, and McDonald was served with an $8,174.86 demand letter. Interest and recovery costs are included in the demand amounts.
Walker is accused of embezzling from H.W. Byers High School activities funds by depositing them into her own bank account. These funds—nearly $40,000—were meant to pay for things like student parking decals, athletic uniforms, and school-sponsored fundraisers. Walker’s alleged scheme lasted from August 2020 to February 2022 when it was reported to the State Auditor’s office by school officials.
According to a court document, McDonald allegedly embezzled over $5,000 from the Marshall County Library which was then converted to her own personal use.
“We will continue to work with prosecutors to ensure taxpayer money is protected,” said State Auditor Shad White.
Dana Walker was arrested in February 2022 by the Marshall County School District Police for her alleged embezzlement scheme. Amanda McDonald surrendered herself to Special Agents at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office yesterday.
If convicted Walker faces 20 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. McDonald faces 10 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. District Attorney Ben Creekmore’s office will prosecute both cases.
Walker’s employment in Marshall County School District is covered by a $50,000 insurance policy. No surety bond covers the employment of Amanda McDonald. Surety bonds are similar to insurance and designed to protect taxpayers in the event that public money is misspent. Both women will remain liable for the full amounts of their demands in addition to individual charges.
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.
28 comments:
Incoming, whiney-bitch, low hanging fruit comments in 3..2..1
GO SHAD!
Shad @ 3:02 PM
Pretending to be your own fan is pathetic and unethical. We all know that your were Pheel’s howdy doody cabin boy. I guess only you can determine if the sore rump was worth the price!
Secretary and librarian. Yet can’t find the courage to go after Phil. Great job little man.
Listening to Shad try and act tough is funny. It’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed for the fraud he is and is forced to blow everyone’s whistle.
Remember, Shad doesn’t decide who is indicted, he only investigates. Great talking point of his to get the heat off letting “the big fish” off thus far.
Maybe the rural rotary clubs believe your BS, but no one else does, Shad.
I’ll vote for Mickey Mouse before I vote for Phil sycophant Shad. Cronyism at its finest. The good ole boy network protects its own.
What a bunch of whiny babies. Filing deadline is March 1, bitches. Put up or shut up.
3:16….like.
The school district turned them in. Pretty easy case but he got a press release out of it.
Crazy how WLBT has their pictures and KF is too scared to show their faces!
Sad, but justifed. Like so many small time crooks, theywill go to jail for (at their age) a long time.
Phil Bryant isn't getting a pass...he's a federal problem, let the feds do their slow poke investigation and prosecution. Meanwhile each of Shad's successful investigations is an incentive not to embezzle.
Shad’s problem isn’t that he hasn’t gone after Phil. He’s not going to and he never was. He doesn’t have the political clout or the blessing of the party.
Shad’s problem is that he attempted to cover for Phil. He’s the whistleblower, right? Why has Shad never mentioned Phil’s involvement in any of this? Reporters knew about Phil’s involvement. Why didn’t Shad? Shad has made it clear his job is only to investigate, not indict. His investigation has some holes in it. I’m guessing Phil, Shad and Company never expected this thing to last this long or blow up the way it has. Phil’s an idiot and Shad is a novice. By the time this thing comes full circle, ole Shadrack will have some explaining to do to Uncle Sam. I wonder if he’ll tweet about that.
Some of the people are harmed with BS allegations.
Shad did claim that 6 individuals were arrested by his office.
What happened to number 7?
How is the investigation into the mayor of Jackson going, or is there one? Is that why Thompson is investigation the MSGOP to keep the heat off of the former mayor/cop killer /terrorist’s son?
You people need to leave Shad alone. Phil Bryant is being investigated and it will take time. Shad is doing his job better than any auditor I can remember.
@7:29 - his issue is that he called Phil a whistleblower instead of exposing his crimes. Shad is as dirty as the rest of the politicians around here. A decent person would enforce the laws no matter who is breaking them. If anything, the disgraced governor who was also a former auditor should be held to a higher standard since he should have known better and was trusted to do things by the book. Shad burned his good will and now all of his work has to be looked at with a healthy dose of skepticism since we don’t know who else he has refused to prosecute or chosen to prosecute purely for political reasons.
I think all who embezzle should be punished, appropriately. My problem is that there has not been any charges for any high ranking politician or entertainer, all while the pawns are going to jail. Also, remember Culpable and In The Dark public officials have not been publicly admonished either. Hell, the former DA from Curtis Flowers is running for Judge. Three matters that no one has been investigated, as for as I know. Just shameful!!!
Kicking tail!!! Way to go, Shad!!! Keep up the good work!
@9:33 Hi Rina.
Agree w/ 7:00 pm.
I think Phil is now a federal problem. Nancy and Zack New pled guilty to federal crimes to avoid going to state pen. They also pled guilty to state charges, but state prosecutors asked state judge to wait on sentencing until sentenced in federal case. Neither have been sentenced yet, and its likely that they're talking to the feds about everyone else involved. They'll go to federal prison, not state pen, and state sentence will likely run concurrent with federal sentence. After they are sentenced in federal case, then we may eventually hear more from the feds about others involved.
This matter is not in Shad's hands -- too many other cooks in the kitchen. And, no, I'm not Shad or anyone affiliated with him. I am, however, relieved to see him pursuing what many of you call small time offenders. To clean up graft and crime among public officials/employees, you have to pursue the small ones -- it always starts small.
@7:00 pm—I’m glad to see somebody finally post something who’s not talking out of his rear end about Shad. I’m a former career prosecutor, and I know that the State Auditor INVESTIGATES possible misuse of funds but does not and cannot PROSECUTE those cases. Shad’s office HAS investigated the alleged misuse of TANF funds and has turned the results of that investigation over to the prosecutors. Who the prosecutors choose to bring before a grand jury for possible indictment is up to those prosecutors. Shad has no control over that. So, you folks who have been showing your ignorance by criticizing Shad fro not prosecuting Phil and Brett, please get off his back. Shad has done his job and done it well.
@12:23 is correct. But @12:23’s statement also assumes that Shad turned over ALL evidence pertaining to EVERYONE involved to the prosecutors. There’s plenty of smoke involved in the DHS deal to make one thing he did not. Therein lies Shad’s problem.
12:23pm - You do realize the average knowledge level and IQ of posters on here is less than room temperature right? You’re wasting your time with all those facts.
Shad's office "arrests" people all the time...he should have arrested Phil - but he allowed Phil to engineer a defensive position first. Shad is complicit.
12:23 - answer these simple questions: 1) Does Shad have arrest power - don't his people carry weapons to facilitate arrests?
2) why, if he claims to have arrested 6 individuals, didn't he arrest 7?
Phil agreed by text to accept stock in Prevacus on February 4th. On February 5th, Nancy New and John Davis were arrested by Shad White’s office. Sure seems like Shad was trying to protect his boss.
@4:01-Purely coincidental…….
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