After a former Horn Lake alderman was indicted for fraudulent unemployment benefits, he and his attorney fired back at the state saying the debt had already been settled.
Special agents with the Mississippi Office of State Auditor took Charles Roberts into custody on Wednesday. He stands accused of receiving unemployment benefits while still employed by the city of Horn Lake and failing to disclose that income.
But in a press conference on Thursday, Roberts’ attorney said the issue had already been resolved because the money was paid back. Roberts thought there was no more to be done – until the announcement from State Auditor Shad White’s office that Roberts had been indicted.
“This was paid in July,” Roberts’ attorney, Tony Farese, said. “How can the state auditor’s office not know that?”
Farese admitted that Roberts had indeed received unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic despite being employed as a Horn Lake alderman. But when he was informed that had been overpaid, Roberts’ wages were garnished, and he sold his house to pay the state $16,948 to settle the discrepancy.
Farese said the check cleared on July 23, though the total amount demanded by the state was more than $23,000. After his arrest, Roberts also paid a $7,500 bond for release from the DeSoto County jail.
“I’m tired of political shenanigans by Mr. White’s office,” Farese said. “If Shad White and his office had properly investigated, they would have seen that Mr. Roberts had already paid.”
The case was turned over the DeSoto County District Attorney’s office following the arrest. With the push back from Roberts and his legal counsel, the DA’s office will have another angle to investigate. The State Auditor’s Office are also redirecting questions about the investigation to another Mississippi agency.
“We will defer questions to the Mississippi Department of Employment Services,” DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton and the state auditors office said in a joint statement to SuperTalk Mississippi News.
