Thursday, December 8, 2022

State Auditor Busts Hospital Clerk in $102,089 Embezzlement

 State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

Today State Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested Melissa Cook in Yalobusha County. Cook, a former accounts receivable clerk, was indicted by a local grand jury for embezzlement from Yalobusha General Hospital—a publicly owned hospital where she was previously employed. Special Agents delivered a $102,089.74 demand letter to Cook upon her arrest. The demand amount includes interest and investigative expenses.


Cook
Cook is accused of embezzling in-patient care payments from the hospital by not depositing cash payments made to the hospital from March 2018 to August 2020. She is alleged to have converted the cash to her own personal use and deposited large sums into her own bank account.

 

“We will continue to hold the line when it comes to embezzlement, whether it’s a large amount like this or a small amount,” said Auditor White. “While we are not allowed to decide when a person faces criminal charges at the end of our cases—prosecutors do that—we’re always grateful for their help when we can work together.”

 

If convicted, Cook faces up to 20 years in prison or up to $25,000 in fines. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

 

A $50,000 surety bond covers Cook’s employment at the Yalobusha General Hospital. Surety bonds are similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption. Cook 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 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.


24 comments:

Anonymous said...

It never ends.

Sticky fingers are everywhere.

Anonymous said...

Everybody has a sure fire scheme, just like all the other sure fire schemes that end up in arrest. Now, on that note, I wonder how many schemes are successful.

Anonymous said...

It never stops-

Seemsnice said...

Along with bribery,isn't embezzlement legal in Mississippi?

Anonymous said...

Alt Headline: Auditor ramps up press releases prior to candidate qualifying

Anonymous said...

At the moment Phil Bryant told Shad White the State Auditor that he was aware of the DHS skullduggery, did the State Auditor have an immediate legal obligation to investigate? Shad likely acted as Feel's "counsel" and suggested he turn Whistleblower to protect his sorry ass. Shad should have had a moral AND immediate legal obligation to say, "Based on what you just told me Governor, I need to immediately notify the Feds in my role as a state officer so they can investigate."

Why didn't this happen? Shad the shyster is compromised.

Anonymous said...

No check & balance on this work that allowed her to pocket cash payments? The hospital administration is also at fault. No wonder these hospitals are in such bad financial condition.

Anonymous said...

Question is, will Bryant get away with what he did. The next year should tell the tale.

Anonymous said...

Yeah Shad! Go get them old ladies while you ignore Phil! Tough guy!

Anonymous said...

I applied for that job. I had all of the credentials (and more]? For some reason I was not hired. My next stop was Oxford Ms. That may have been the best move in my life.

Sick of hearing what about Phil? said...

4:56 and 5:30 So you don't think this person shouldn't be prosecuted for their crimes because Phil hasn't been prosecuted yet? That thinking is what is wrong with this world now.

Anonymous said...

Briggs Hopson proposed legislation to PREVENT this while Shad only seeks to make social media posts on it.

Anonymous said...

How do you know he didn't immediately notify the feds? You know something we don't?

Anonymous said...

"Based on what you just told me Governor, I need to immediately notify the Feds in my role as a state officer so they can investigate." Why didn't this happen?

Question: How you know this didn't happen?

Answer: You don't know.

Question: Why do you suggest he did NOT do that?

Answer: You like to play silly games on a blog.

Anonymous said...

I’m no fan of the Republican establishment, but have you folks who always comment on these Shad White press releases claiming White is compromised and covered up for Bryant ever considered that Bryant isn’t off the hook yet and that maybe White ISN’T guilty of covering for Bryant?

The current State Auditor has been doing a hell of a good job ferreting out these thieves and all y’all want to do is criticize. Have you ever considered that these press releases might help serve as a deterrent to other would-be thieves?

Anonymous said...

What legislation did Hopson propose that would eliminate employee theft/embezzlement? And if he proposed it what happened to the proposal? Did it become a bill? If not, why not. Proposing doesn't quite rise to the level of investigative action and arrest. Anybody can sit at a desk and offer a 'proposal' while checking his email.

You people who moan about press releases would be the first to ask, "How come we don't hear about this?" if it were not released to the media. Press releases are made to deter criminals, not to take victory laps. Turn your cap around, 9:07.

Anonymous said...

@8:53pm

Yes, those small potatoes (like the Hyman Roth reference?) that get caught by Shad's team should be prosecuted. But they shouldn't really be used as promotional bits for Shad's campaign as long as the big elephant hasn't been addressed fully.

Shad thinks the general public is stupid and has a short memory. Many are, but many aren't. Shad's a POS.

Anonymous said...

Shad claimed Phil was the whistleblower. Enough said.

Anonymous said...

For all we know, the Feds are also looking at the possibility of Shad covering for Phil. Time will tell.

That'sMisterDeplorableToYou said...

"She is alleged to have converted the cash to her own personal use and deposited large sums into her own bank account."

Pro tip: When you're embezzling money, never ever deposit any of it into a bank account. Especially your own bank account. Especially "large sums". If you do, your doing Shad's job for him.

Anonymous said...

@ 2:16 PM "I wonder how many schemes are successful"
That would be called the "bezzel".
You see, "embezzel" occurs when idiots like this woman get caught and everyone the learns how much money was "embezzeled". The "bezzel" is the amount that we never know about, when crooks get away with their grift.
I suspect there's a lot of "bezzel" going on in Jacktown, and it's about damn time Shad started digging around in Jaxn and Hinds County.

Anonymous said...

Preventing this scenario is covered early in accounting education, and it’s not very complicated to set up proper internal controls. Makes you go hmmmmm.

Anonymous said...

1:50 - The state auditor doesn't audit municipalities. That would require legislative mandates and a staff of six hundred auditors and special agents with arrest powers.

Anonymous said...

It would be interesting to see a forensic audit of a cross section of UI claimants during that time period. Closely examine the claimants' eligibility to draw and spot those obviously not eligible who in fact did draw. I think eyebrows would raise at the number of agency employees (claims examiners) complicit in the fraud.


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