State Auditor Shad White has announced that Carol Jackson of Sunflower County has been given the maximum prison sentence allowed by state law after she admitted to committing fraud and diverting over $40,000 away from funds intended for needy children.
Special Agents from the auditor’s office arrested Jackson on August 16, 2021, after a local grand jury indicted her for fraud. Jackson received a government grant meant to provide meals for needy schoolchildren in the summer months through a nonprofit organization but used the funds to travel, write large checks to herself, and make cash withdrawals from an ATM at a local casino.
“The message here is clear: there are serious consequences for stealing from the taxpayers. Other fraudsters should be on notice,” State Auditor Shad White said. “Prosecutors make decisions about who to charge for a crime, so thank you to both the investigators at the Office of the State Auditor and the prosecutors whose work got us here.”
Judge W. Ashley Hines ordered Jackson to spend 5 years in prison and pay $62,627.66 in restitution along with court and bond fees. District Attorney Dewayne Richardson’s Office prosecuted the case.
