As your State Auditor, my job is to hold those accountable who choose to steal and misuse your hard-earned money. Let’s take a look at some of the recent cases that have had an impact on your community.

In Jackson County, Charles Smith and Jonathan Smith were indicted for embezzlement by a grand jury in September 2022. The duo is accused of embezzling county-owned equipment like chainsaws, weedeaters, and other implements. Several of the items were allegedly pawned or sold at local shops. Johnathan Smith is also accused of stealing catalytic converters from county-owned vehicles. Both men were served their respective indictments and demand letters in September. Charles Smith was served a $1,435.77 demand letter, and Jonathan Smith was served a $3,549.79 demand letter.

In December, Charles Smith pled guilty to embezzlement, and his full demand amount has been recovered and returned to Jackson County taxpayers. In February, Jonathan Smith was convicted on two counts of embezzlement. The majority of the equipment has already been recovered and returned to Jackson County. Both Charles and Jonathan Smith are now convicted of a felony offense and will not be able to handle public funds again.

In Harrison County, Michael Ludlow pled guilty in March to submitting fraudulent timesheets from October 2020 to November 2020 and embezzling money from the Biloxi Public School District. He was absent from work while he claimed to be present and conducted personal business at other times he was on the clock and being paid by the school district. Ludlow was presented with a $6,678.32 demand letter upon his arrest in May 2021. Sentencing will be held at a later date.

Investigators also believe Ludlow purchased controlled substances during the workday while using a district-owned vehicle away from school property. This incident was referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency and is pending prosecution.

In Stone County, a $335,353.61 demand letter was presented to former circuit clerk Jeffrey O’Neal after he was indicted on four counts of embezzlement and arrested in September 2021. O’Neal is accused of embezzling money from Stone County by writing checks to himself instead of to the county general fund as required by law. He also allegedly embezzled money that should have been returned to crime victims. Unrelated to the criminal charges against him, a portion of the demand issued to O’Neal is to repay the county for nearly $60,000 lost as a result of errors like his misplacing a certified check. O’Neal is currently in jail awaiting a hearing and a new trial date.

In George County, Elijah Murrah was indicted for grand larceny in January 2022. Murrah is accused of stealing multiple catalytic converters from parked vehicles owned by the George County School District. He allegedly used a saw to cut the catalytic converters from school-owned vehicles and later sold them.

Murrah was sentenced to serve at least three years in prison for stealing the catalytic converters from taxpayer-owned vehicles. Both sentences will run concurrently with each other. In addition, Murrah was fined $700.00 and ordered to pay $200.00 to the Crime Victims Fund, and all court costs.

You are the victim of these crimes—along with your friends and neighbors who live in Mississippi. That’s not something I take lightly. I’m committed to doing my part to hold these people liable for their actions. From the smallest case to the largest one, any amount of money and resources stolen from the taxpayers is too much. My office will continue to work with prosecutors to hold crooks accountable. 

This op-ed was originally published in the Clarion-Ledger