WOMAN ALLEGEDLY EMBEZZLED FROM COLUMBUS HS BAND BOOSTER CLUB

A Columbus High School Band Booster is reportedly charged with embezzlement.

Tonya Danyel Holmes was arrested last week.

Sources told WCBI the investigation centers around checks and the band booster club.

Columbus police are only confirming more than one check was involved.

Columbus Schools Superintendent Cherie Labat confirmed to WCBI that a band booster was arrested and that person was not an employee of the district.

However, she did not identify that person.

Former Harrison Central High bookkeeper embezzled thousands of dollars, officials say

A former bookkeeper at Harrison Central High School is accused of embezzling $5,890. It will cost her $14,687.36, according to a demand letter from the State Auditor’s Office.

The demand letter was hand-delivered to the home of 41-year-old Sherry Lynn Brewer home in Gulfport after a Harrison County grand jury indicted her on charges of embezzlement and alteration of records, documents show.

The amount of money she’s expected to pay includes interest and costs of the investigation, State Auditor Stacey Pickering said in a news release Wednesday.

She is accused of keeping money turned in by students and teachers and altering receipts and records to cover her tracks.

Brewer has not worked at the school since December 2012, said Trang Pham-Bui, public relations specialist for the Harrison County School District.

Brewer embezzled $5,890 between January 2010 and December 2012, according to the indictment.

During that same period, she allegedly made false entries and changed bookkeeping records at the high school to conceal discrepancies.

Brewer was booked at the Harrison County jail Friday and released on a $15,000 bond that covers both counts in the indictment.

Her charges carry maximum penalties of 30 years in prison.

Brewer is at least the second person on the Mississippi Coast arrested on charges from the State Auditor’s Office in two months.

Former Hancock County Justice Court Deputy Clerk Dana Sue Beaman was arrested July 28, accused of embezzling more than $110,000. Pickering’s office has issued a demand requiring Beaman pay $197,408.94, which Pickering said includes $110,827.50 in embezzled money plus nearly $87,000 in interest and recovery costs.

Beaman worked for the court from January 2008 until June 2011. She is free on an $80,000 bond pending court action on four counts of embezzlement.

Director of home for girls, his wife indicted on embezzlement

The former director of Happiness Hill Christian Home for girls on Deemer Road and his wife were arrested last week on an indictment charging them with embezzlement. The indictment charged that Jack Lee High, 70, of 11871 Road 505,  and Karen Lynn High, 68, same address, embezzled $25,000 or more from the Christian home, a mission of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lafayette, Ind.  A Neshoba County grand jury handed down the indictment during its December session. The two were booked at the county jail Thursday. They were initially arrested in April 2016 after a state audit showed that $210,313.36 was missing from the home, Sheriff Tommy Waddell said. However, he said a separate in-house audit showed $383,251.05 was missing. High was director of Happiness Hill and his wife was secretary/treasurer, Waddell said. The Highs are no longer employed by the home. Authorities were notified of the missing funds on March 8, 2016, by William Murdock, chairman of the board of Lighthouse Baptist Church. Happiness Hill was founded in 1991 by Raymond and Kaye Palmer. It is a home for young ladies between the ages of 13-17 who want and are willing to receive help. According to their website, many of the young ladies have been abused, neglected and unwanted.  Some may be caught up in alcohol, drugs, being with the wrong crowd, rebellion and some may just have no one to care for them, the website said. Among the home’s financial supporting ministries in this area at the time of their arrests were: Arlington, Calvary and Enon Baptist churches and First Baptist Church of Union and Greenland Baptist Church of Union. A home for boys was later opened called the Solid Rock Boy’s Home. The two homes are located within five miles of each other on Road 505, better known as Deemer Road. - 

CMSD employee arrested for alleged embezzlement

An employee of Columbus Municipal School District is accused of embezzling from a local department store when she was an employee there.  

Officers with the Columbus Police Department arrested Rosemarie Prater, 36, of 2923 Military Road, on Tuesday.  

Prater is charged with embezzling about $45,000 from Belk department store in Columbus when she worked there in 2015, said CPD Capt. Brent Swan.  

Prater is a receptionist with CMSD and a member of the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee.  

CMSD Superintendent Philip Hickman did not return calls to The Dispatch regarding Prater's employment status since her arrest.  

CMSD Board of Trustees President Angela Verdell told The Dispatch she could not speak about personnel matters.  

"I don't know who that is," Verdell added in reference to Prater.  

Prater stopped working for Belk in 2015, Swan said. She has worked as a receptionist at CMSD for about a year, according to her application for the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee.  

Prater was released from the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center after posting $50,000 bond Tuesday.  

Man accused of embezzling from football program arrested in Mississippi

A man accused of embezzling from a youth football program is now in jail.

Matthew Householder was arrested by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday and charged with embezzlement. Householder is accused of taking money from the Hamilton Youth Football program, where he served as president.

He had agreed to turn himself into authorities last week but failed to do so.

Householder is currently jailed at Monroe County Detention Center awaiting arraignment by a Monroe County Justice Court judge.

Woman repays half of $6K embezzled from Bay High School band students as part of plea deal in Mississippi

A woman who embezzled $6,000 Bay High band students had earned for a trip to Florida has repaid half the money as part of a plea deal, a prosecutor said.

Kimberly Luxich, 43, faced a 10-year prison term for embezzling money the band members had raised to pay for a trip to perform at Disney World in Orlando in 2013.

She pleaded guilty Monday in Hancock County Circuit Court.

The state planned to recommend prison time but her attorney asked if she could make a sizeable payment to stay out of prison, and leaders of the Band Boosters Club agreed, Assistant District Attorney Chris Daniel said.

Allowing Luxich to repay half the money now means students who earned the money and are now seniors will benefit from part of what they raised, Daniel said. Luxich brought $3,000 in money orders to court for deposit in the booster club account, he said.

Judge Roger Clark imposed a 10-year prison term, suspended eight years and ordered Luxich to be on house arrest for two years. She also must repay the rest of the money.

Luxich was treasurer of the band's booster club and was the only person authorized to handle its bank account, Daniel said.

She admitted she had started taking money to pay bills and intended to pay it back but said she couldn't afford to do it, Daniel said.

Bay St. Louis police arrested her Aug. 7, 2013, after receiving a complaint of missing money. She was suspected of embezzling $12,000. Prosecutors could only prove she took about $6,000, Daniel said.

"The Hancock County community rallied around the band to raise money so the students could make their trip," he said. "They actually raised more money than we could prove she took."

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article50057165.html?sp-tk=9F8FFB8B4E6990663E7A3758BE2E38AFF8D770CD32D62EE9C63066F67EC9F82500D6A7A1A7681AB1609EE4A7BDBFF098FEE78FABFEC3F1930667A967B312FC49D2C181BD24E033363D359D8B76DE1EC1E9C5B46D31365185BF1F5357F13652AF45705ED2EA51E562F6D6130D3A8147D330ED2AEE4BA0D0E4EC3C8F30D295D61082C8AC72#storylink=cpy

Former Shaw School District transportation director pleads guilty to embezzlement in Mississippi

The former transportation director for the Shaw School District pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement.

Willie Alexander was sentenced to two years of probation.

He also received at $1,000 fine and ordered to pay more than $3,580 in restitution.

His sentence is non-adjudicated.

Alexander was arrested and served with a demand for 4,142.82, in October after an investigation uncovered that he was allegedly using the Shaw School District’s Fuelman card to purchase items such as food, beer, and cigarettes.

Former Laurel Christian School headmaster pleads guilty to embezzlement

Former Laurel Christian School Headmaster Rick Bartley, 55, pleaded guilty in court Thursday to his indicted charge of embezzlement in excess of $25,000.

According to the Jones County District Attorney's Office, Bartley was stealing cash from the school overtime from 2011 – 2013. The office said when Bartley was previously asked if he had ever taken cash from Laurel Christian School Bartley replied and said he did and the reason he did was because he was living beyond his means.

District Attorney Tony Buckley said if the case went to trial the state would be able to prove that an amount of $58,000 was stolen from Laurel Christian School by Bartley. He went on to say they would be able to provide parents to testify in the case saying they paid Bartley cash for their child's education. Buckley said the state would also provide statements by some employees of the school testifying that all cash payments from 2008 and on that came into the office had to be turned in to Bartley.

Bartley received a 5 year sentence with the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with all 5 years of that sentence suspended on condition that he successfully completes 5 years of unsupervised post-release supervision.

According to the district attorney's office, Bartley is not medically well. The office said the sentence given to Bartley is for the purpose of allowing him to return to his home in Alabama so that he is able to maintain his medical visits that he will need in Texas and Alabama.

Judge Dal Williamson said the sentence was not one that he would ordinarily approve of based on the crime committed, but he went ahead and sentenced Bartley to what the state and the Laurel Christian School board members agreed on. According to the district attorney's office, the school board did not wish to see Bartley go to prison.

“You violated the trust that a lot of people put in you, “said Judge Williamson to Bartley. “People looked up to you, I looked up to you.”

When asked if he had anything to say Bartley said, “I'm sorry and for all who hear this I would ask their forgiveness.”

Bartley was arrested after his sentence, booked into the Jones County jail and was then released. The D.A.'s office said Bartley will have to pay back $12,000 to Laurel Christian School.

“He's now a convicted felon, he can now no longer work in many jobs or vote because it's a crime of dishonesty,” said Buckley. “It's also a crime that cannot be expunged by law in Mississippi so he'll have that conviction for the rest of his life. It's not something that any professional person that's been in education with a wife and kids wants to have publicly acknowledged.”

Buckley said no student at LCS suffered as a result of the crime committed by Bartley, who was headmaster at the school from 1999 - 2013

Former Mississippi state employee headed to prison for embezzlement, forgery

 A former state employee has been sentenced to prison for embezzlement and forgery.

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood says 49-year-old Rhonda Gleason, of Richton, was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Billy Joe Landrum in Jones County. Gleason pleaded guilty to two counts of embezzlement and one count of forgery for crimes that occurred while she worked as a program director at Ellisville State School.

Hood, in a news release, Landrum sentenced Gleason to five years on each count, to run concurrent, with four years suspended and one to serve. She also must complete 624 hours of community service upon her release, pay restitution of $5,500 and court costs plus a $1,000 fine. Authorities say she took small amounts from more than 22 residents during a two-year period.

2 sentenced to restitution in North Pike School District auto parts embezzlement case

Two men have pleaded guilty and been sentenced as part of an embezzlement scheme in the North Pike School District, State Auditor Stacey Pickering announced today.

Jimmy Coker, 67, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and was ordered to pay a fine in the amount of $3,000 and restitution totaling $33,739.

The full amount of Coker's restitution was collected on April 16, Pickering said, and it will be returned to the school district. He has also been placed on non-adjudicated probation for a period of 48 months under the supervision of the Department of Corrections.

Howard Cooper, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit embezzlement and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,619.

As the director of transportation for the school district, Coker collaborated with Cooper, an employee of a local auto parts store, to bill the district for personal items, Pickering said in a news release.

"These individuals worked together to steal from the North Pike School District, and they are being held accountable for their actions," Pickering said. "This investigation was a collaborative effort between the State Auditor's Office, District Attorney Dee Bates and the North Pike School District."

Former church secretary indicted for embezzlement, fraud in Mississippi

The former secretary of the First Baptist Church in Pontotoc has pleaded not guilty to charges she took over $500,000 from the church.

The Pontotoc County grand jury handed down the four count indictment against Laura L. Franklin, 64, of Pontotoc.

Franklin is accused of taking money and other property for her own use from the church.

She is also accused of issuing a check for more $500 for her own use and using the church's credit cards to buy Ole Miss football tickets.

Court documents say the total amount in dispute is $537,277.74.

Franklin entered the not guilty plea during a hearing in Lee County Circuit Court.

She is currently free on a $25,000 bond.

Fulton woman charged in church embezzlement case

A Fulton woman stands accused of embezzling more than $4,000 from her church.

Cathy Louise Parker, 60, of 530 Reese Road, Fulton, was arrested on Monday, Dec. 2, and charged with embezzlement. She received an initial court appearance before Itawamba County Justice Court Judge Barry Davis and was issued a $1 million bond.

The arrest took place in Waukegan, Ill., where investigators said she was staying with family. In order to be brought back to Itawamba County, Parker had to sign extradition papers, which investigators said she did willingly. She was escorted back to Itawamba County by an Itawamba County investigator and jailed last Friday. Officials said she has remained cooperative throughout the investigation and arrest.

Investigators with the Itawamba County Sheriff’s Department said the size of the bond was due to the flight risk Parker presents.

Parker is accused of embezzling money from East Fulton Baptist Church, where she served as treasurer for more than three years. According to Jason Dickinson with the Itawamba County Sheriff’s Department, who is investigating the case, Parker is believed to have been taking small amounts of money from the church treasury throughout her tenure as treasurer. She recently left the position, Dickinson said, to return to her home state of Illinois.

The new treasurer reportedly noticed some discrepancies in the bookkeeping, leading to the investigation.

According to Dickinson, the exact amount of money allegedly stolen from the church has yet to be determined, but he estimates it to be more than $4,000.

Parker is scheduled to appear before the next Itawamba County Grand Jury, set for February.

Caledonia school employee on leave during embezzlement probe in Mississippi

A Caledonia high school guidance counselor has been placed on paid administrative leave amid embezzlement allegation.

Superintendent Lynn Wright would not identify the school employee or confirm the administrative leave citing the matter as a personnel issue but multiple sources within the district said the counselor, who has been employed with the district for six years, was placed on administrative leave Wednesday afternoon. Sources said approximately $3,000 has been reported missing from the high school's office. The money, which was collected from transcript fees, was reportedly left in an envelope in a vault, but it is unclear how many people may have had access to the vault.

Wright said an allegation was made last week and the incident is under investigation by the Lowndes County Sheriff's Department.

"Until we get all the facts, we don't want to speculate," Wright said. "There are too many unknowns. We want to get to the bottom of it and we want to hold the person accountable if something was done wrong or inappropriate but we don't want to hurt anybody that's innocent.

PTA thefts go to grand jury in Mississippi

A felony embezzlement case involving two former PTA board members at Olive Branch Intermediate School is expected to be presented to the grand jury next month.

The alleged theft, which occurred in a six-month period during the last school year, has been reported at more than $20,000 but Olive Branch police Sgt. Jeff Abbott declined to confirm the amount.

"It is not anything confirmed yet," Abbott said. He identified the two people charged in the case as Kimberly Maxwell and Tameral Johnson.

Police have estimated that the embezzlement occurred between August 2012 and February of 2013.

 

Abbott said the investigation produced no evidence that any school personnel were involved in the embezzlement.

Abbott said he could not provide any further details at this time.

The Mississippi PTA issued a statement from Jackson that it is aware of the embezzlement charges and that the case will go to a grand jury soon.

"While we are unable to speak for the Olive Branch Intermediate PTA, or comment on the charges, we will continue to support this local PTA and the good work they do for children in their local school as we do for all the PTAs across the state," the statement says.

Further, it says, "While it may be hard to acknowledge, theft, fraud and embezzlement are pervasive in today's society. Fraud costs U.S. organizations over $400 billion annually. The average organization loses approximately 6 percent of its total annual revenue to these abuses."

It also says the state PTA provides all local PTAs with leadership training and that more than four million PTA members across the country also have access to "e-learning courses" through the National PTA website.  Courses include "Preventing Theft in Your PTA."

Efforts to reach an Olive Intermediate PTA leader were unsuccessful.

Treasurer of band booster club faces embezzlement in Mississippi

A trip to Disney has been put in jeopardy after $12,000 of the Bay High Tiger band's money went missing.

On Wednesday, the treasurer for the Bay High Tiger Pride Marching Band Booster Club was charged with embezzlement.

Bay St. Louis Police Chief Mike DeNardo, 41-year-old Kimberly Luxich's arrest stems from a report from a booster club member, who told police something suspicious was happening to the band's money.

The Bay St. Louis woman allegedly stole $12,000 over the past several months, Bay St. Louis police said.

According to police, band members raised the money over the summer through bake sales, collecting money from motorists, candy bar sales and car washes. The money was going to be used for two charter buses to go to Disney.

Luxich made her initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon. Bond has not been set at this time.

2 granted pretrial diversion in embezzlement case in Mississippi

Two Olive Branch Middle School staff members accused of embezzling more than $10,000 from school accounts have been granted pretrial diversion.

The Commercial Appeal reports (http://bit.ly/13uHTAy ) the school's former assistant principal, Audrey Brooke Phillips, and the former bookkeeper, Kelli McGowen, applied for diversion and were accepted into the program last month.

The requirements of the program for nonviolent, first-time offenders call for the defendants to pay a $1,000 fine, $421.50 in court costs and $100 to the Mississippi crime victim compensation fund.

If they successfully complete the yearlong diversion program, they will not have convictions on their records or face punishment through the court system.

A third suspect in the case, former Olive Branch Middle School principal Mike McCoy, is slated to go trial on Aug. 19.

___

School Embezzlement Investigation Underway

An investigation is underway into embezzlement involving a Meridian school.
Officials say the case involves funds at Crestwood Elementary.

Interim superintendent, Dr. Terry Larabee, says most, if not all, of the roughly $4,000 involved, has been returned. He says it was money that came from a fundraiser last fall at the school.

Although school officials are not confirming the identity of the person involved, Larabee says school policy prohibits the involvement of school officials with PTA funds.

"We have a statutory obligation to report to authorities any crime that happens on school property, and we've met that obligation in this situation," said Larabee.

Larabee says the school employee alleged to be involved with the theft is no longer working for the district.

At this time the Meridian Police Department is conducting its own investigation into the case. At last check, formal charges had not been filed.

Former school principal’s trial for embezzlement re-scheduled in Mississippi

Former Olive Branch Middle School principal Mike McCoy, who was indicted on conspiracy and embezzlement charges, will be now be tried in August.
The Commercial Appeal reports McCoy’s trial was scheduled for trial next week.
McCoy’s trial date is now set for Aug. 19 in DeSoto County Circuit Court in Hernando. If he enters a plea, the plea date has been set for Aug. 13.
McCoy, former assistant principal Audrey Brooke Phillips and former bookkeeper Kelli McGowen were indicted for conspiracy to embezzle and embezzlement by a public employee.
The three are accused of taking more than $10,000 from various school accounts.
McGowen and Phillips have each applied for DeSoto County’s Pretrial Diversion program for nonviolent, first-time offenders. Their applications are pending.

Tupelo man faces state, federal charges in Mississippi

Jimmy Dale Bean, a former Tupelo Police employee, faces federal and state charges on apparently separate complaints.

A U.S. District Court notice Thursday set a June 25 plea hearing for Bean on a one-count “information,” which is a federal charge that comes from prosecutors, not a grand jury, usually after a defendant agrees to plead guilty.

Court records do not state what the 39-year-old Tupelo man is charged with, and it won’t become public until his plea is entered in court before Chief U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills.

However, his federal record shows the unusual addition of a U.S. Department of Justice official, Sheldon L. Beer, from the Civil Rights Criminal Division.

Bean is represented by attorney Stephen Travis Bailey of Tupelo.

In Lee County, Bean faces indictment accusing him of three counts of embezzlement from New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Plantersville.

Bean pleaded not guilty at his April 10 arraignment and is free on $75,000 bond. He is represented by Tupelo attorney Rob Laher.

The indictment claims he wrongly withdrew more than $500 cash three times from an ATM in May, July and August 2012.

He allegedly did so with money “entrusted to his care or possession” by virtue of his relationship with the church.

His state case is likely to come up during the May term of circuit court, which begins April 29.

This week, judges will preside over two days of pleas from indicted individuals in advance of the court term.

Ex-school worker indicted for embezzlement in Mississippi

A former Nanih Waiya school employee has been charged with embezzlement
.
State Auditor Stacey Pickering said in a news release that Lori Young surrendered this past week to the Winston County Sheriff's Office.

He said Young was indicted on one count of embezzlement for allegedly taking $15,833.

Pickering said Young was served a demand for $28,917 which included investigative costs, interest, and other costs of recovery.

The indictment alleges Young took money from the Nanih Waiya Attendance Center by not depositing all of the funds that had been given to her by teachers and club sponsors and altering cash sheet records to cover the stolen cash.

Young served as the Nanih Waiya school secretary from January of 2006 to March of 2010.