A Mississippi woman is facing multiple criminal charges related to her time spent working at the Mississippi Department of Education. However, more recently a federal grand jury indicted the former executive director on several charges unrelated to her former job, including a single count of bank fraud, a single count of making false accusations and a single count for making false accusations on a loan application.
Allegations of bank fraud
According to the charges, the woman made false statements to a bank in an attempt to secure a Paycheck Protection Program — PPP — loan in Jan. 2021. She allegedly told Trustmark National Bank that she was not under indictment for any criminal charges and was therefore eligible for loan approval. At the time she was indeed under indictment.
Past indictments
At the time of her loan application, she was on release while under indictment for crimes that may have taken place while she was serving as the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Education. From 2013 to 2016, she allegedly engaged in practices like altering purchase orders, rigging bids, creating false quotes and purchasing items at inflated prices to help certain businesses secure a bigger profit. She was subsequently charged with:
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- Wire fraud
- Money laundering
- Bribery
Bank fraud is a serious criminal offense that is punishable by time behind bars as well as steep fines. Limiting these types of consequences is typically a priority for defendants. While there are many approaches to doing so — including fighting charges to the fullest extent or negotiating a plea deal in exchange for lesser charges or favorable sentencing considerations — conducting a thorough review of all charges and related evidence under the guidance of a knowledgeable counsel is often a good place to start.