A Lee County woman awaits sentencing for seeking to illegally obtain unemployment funds.
State Auditor Shad White announced on Tuesday that Misty Burgess pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds. Burgess, a Plantersville resident, submitted an application for unemployment benefits using her sister’s personal information back in 2020.
At the time the application was submitted, Burgess’ sister was an inmate at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, deeming her ineligible for unemployment benefits.
“This is one of the many unemployment compensation cases we’ve worked on in the last year,” White said. “We will continue to use the latest technology and methods, which has led to my team recovering more money in the last five years than any other five-year period in state history.”
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Burgess will be sentenced by the US District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi in September.
