mississippi state auditor investigations

It was valuable work that helped us resolve a potential stop of picking up of garbage.. Millions of dollars from the Mississippi Department of Human Services were misspent for personal use by grant recipients, on family members and friends of staffers, according to an audit released by State Auditor Shad White. NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson speaks onstage during the 53rd NAACP Image Awards Colors Behind the Look: a Celebration of Fashion, Costume Design and Glam Event in Los Angeles, Feb. 25, 2022. Churchill, a former Town Clerk of Hickory Flat, was indicted and arrested for embezzlement in April of 2022. 1 0 obj Hartley questioned the timing of the auditors investigation and how the auditor was made aware of the councils expenses. As for the auditors investigation itself, there are some concerns the conversation was initiated with a phone call to the auditor as a way of legal strategy, said Banks. NAACP President Derrick Johnson called on the Department of Justice "to aggressively investigate and prosecute those responsible for the massive theft of federal funds that apparently took place in Mississippi in fiscal years 2017 through 2019." Note: After this story published, Auditor Shad White responded on Twitter. TUPELO Unveiling more details about his investigation into the spending of federal money intended to help the needy, State Auditor Shad Whit Mississippi auditor Shad White finds $118M in . Mills voluntarily reduced his hours by so much on our first bill that his effective rate was $183 per hour, and the city is aware of that discount we gave to the city, Scanlon said. It wasnt until MDEQ released their notice of violation to us that an emergency could come pursuant to that notice.. Phone: 601.576.2800 Job openings are posted for recruitment with Workplace Investment Network (WIN) Job Service Offices and on the Mississippi State Personnel Board (SPB) website at www.mspb.ms.gov. An investigation into whether UnitedHealth is also wrongly charging the state's Medicaid program for prescription drugs is ongoing. In May, it opted to extend the contract for another year, the last extension allowed under the current deal. All rights reserved. State of Mississippi Even small instances of noncompliance, youre talking about potentially big savings, White said. <>>> MDHS has provided information relevant to the case as requested by federal authorities, but has not been apprised of the status of the federal investigation beyond a statement that it is on-going.". While at Millsaps, Summerhays received a Legislative Fellowship with the Womens Foundation of Mississippi where she worked with an active member of the Mississippi Legislature for the length of session. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. She has quickly established trust in the Capitol as a fair, honest, and hardworking young reporter. The company reported over $257 billion in revenue last year. He has also named Debi Cox as the new Deputy Director of Investigations for the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. &A(@ `$&UV/?4b ( 4)c%@/ P$Y$H`=V```````8@Ii At the center of the state's UnitedHealth probe is OptumRX, a UnitedHealth subsidiary that manages prescription drug plans. The others indicted include Nancy New, the former owner of the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC); her son, Zach New, the assistant executive director of the MCEC; and former Department of Human Services employee Gregory "Latimer" Smith. He also serves in the military as a captain in the Mississippi National Guard. Box 956 The job title. That investigation, revealed Thursday, details 18 separate instances where leadership within MDOC engaged in "widespread fraud, waste and abuse." State Auditor Shad White said former MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall was responsible for mishandling most of those taxpayer dollars, particularly for authorizing all employees with comp time to be . Faulk has also been issued a demand letter totaling $22,031.26. While its not the divisions policy to divulge details into an ongoing investigation, it is true that people do abuse government programs, including Medicaid.. White's office helped lead the investigation into Mississippi's $77 million welfare fraud scandal, . The total amount of funds recovered by the Office of the State Auditor for Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2021, was The Office of the State Auditor continues to serve as a watchdog organization . The council had refused to pay Richards because it never approved a contract. Anderson said, Our counsel, Mr. Piggot, has already been reaching out to a number of them inviting them to come sit down and talk with us and tell their side of the story. Hes also claimed the auditors are liars despite clear documentary evidence showing he benefitted from misspent funds. Our investigators have proven we will take on the biggest cases down to the smallest to protect taxpayer dollars, said Auditor White. In 2021 an investigation into PBMS resulted in a $55 million settlement, OSA said. Mississippi Division of Medicaid investigators dont have the regulatory power to review tax returns themselves, something White said should change. It's rare for state officials to visit New Albany but Mississippi Auditor Shad White was here recently, coincidentally the same day his . 25, 2023 at 4:28 PM PDT JACKSON, Miss. At Whites swearing in as auditor after he appointed him, Bryant said: When I was auditor, I used to enjoy saying, In God we trust. They show the two men telling Bryant the company had received public funds, and that the governor intended to make his own business deal with Prevacus after he left office. Its unclear where any continuing federal or state investigations stand at this point. Agency Directory. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. The Deputy Director over the Investigations Division, or his/her designee, may be authorized by the State Auditor to meet in a closed session with a public body to discuss preliminary investigative findings, to give public officials notice of demands for recovery of public funds or Representatives for Favre did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. Anderson tells us it is ultimately going to be the discretion of the feds to determine who is culpable in this case. White has said that after his initial eight-month investigation and arrests, he has involved federal authorities and turned over everything his investigators have. But Bryants responsibility in directly supervising his welfare department director and the fact that some of the taxpayer money flowed to people and programs favored by the former governor are notably missing from his extensive audit report. A review of invoices showed Mississippi'sMedicaid service was being charged more thanthe contractually allowed price capsfor certain drugs and services. 2023 www.clarionledger.com. The total amount of disallowed expenditures, he says, was $7,764.50, for which no payments have been received. (WLBT) - More details are emerging about the state auditors investigation into the Jackson City Councils legal expenses, as are accusations about what sparked the states inquiry. I dont vote on claims for several reasons, he said. That wasnt a part of the thinking or the conversation., Lumumba told members the auditor later raised questions about the citys legal expenses, but the investigation was not initiated by his office. Mississippi Today later obtained communications between the governor and principal players in the scandal discussing the allocation of financial aid. ", White said in 2020 after the indictments, "This is an example of money going to or should have gone to folks who needed it through a federal program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Last year we recovered nearly $2 million, Auditor White said. Favre allegedly received the funds for speeches that he did not give, the AP reported. 9 0 obj Civil demands issued by the State Auditor include Davis and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Adult Protective Services: Mississippi Department of Human Services. An incumbent in this classification is responsible for planning, conducting, and reporting audits and investigations of state and local government programs; thus the incumbent has developed a high level of both technical competence and supervisory proficiency . Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. Those connections have helped cast doubt over the independence and rigor of the state welfare investigation led by White. Hurst, a Trump administration appointee who left office in early 2021, declined a recent request for comment on the case. Scanlon told WLBT previously that the memo was drawn up to hurt the councils chances in that case. The item pulled from claims was for work Mills, Scanlon, Dye & Pittman did to defend the council in 2022 Richards Disposal suit. AccelerateMS. endobj 2rT/5}d+|D @kRO\AZhwdxd;!bfxkt74Pk]*J90y[nbf"cy In December 2022, OSA announced that over the last four years, the office has recovered millions of dollars. Whether Medicaid is expanded or not, we need to be doing more, White said. The council did not immediately approve a new contract with the company and residents were left without pickups for approximately two weeks. White and his office identified the misspending and possible theft of tens of millions of dollars in federal money meant to help the states poor. JACKSON, Miss. Some instances of Medicaid fraud are more egregious than others. Since Auditor Shad White arrested Gov. Fax: 601.576.2687 McGrew, Smith, Nancy New and Zach New have all pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press. Mississippi has contracted with UnitedHealth, under the name UnitedHealthcare of Mississippi, for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, benefitssince 2017. If Medicaid had the legal ability to do the analysis that we did here, there would be potential savings for the state and for Medicaid, he said. Mississippi Stephanie Churchill Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement JACKSON, Miss. 2 0 obj Hurst, in his statement at the time of the arrests, noted, Investigating and prosecuting cases of this magnitude and complexity is routinely what the FBI and U.S. Attorneys Offices do here in Mississippi and around the country.. Four out of six have since pleaded guilty to state charges. Multiple requests for comment to UnitedHealth went unanswered. Recouping taxpayer monies part of State Anne Summerhays is a recent graduate of Millsaps College where she majored in Political Science, with minors in Sociology and American Studies. Independent pharmacies across the state are pushing back at what they call unfair practices when it comes to PBM reimbursement.. following organizations: State Auditor Shad Whites close connections with former Gov. Mississippi Office of the State Auditor | 1,098 followers on LinkedIn. The Auditors demand accounts for nearly 12,000 unfilled mandatory shifts at the Marshall County facility from 2017 to 2020. endstream [ @5 Y02YUU (s %I ea ) }Pr"aTH6 xRN I guess a similar situation would have been if I ever learned something about (former Gov.) Attorney Lawrence Deas confirmed to the Clarion Ledger Monday morning his firm is still investigating. read more Whites relationship with Bryant goes back more than a decade. Its mind-boggling that Mr. Favre wants to have a trial about that question. Prior to making that move, she interned for a congressional office in Washington, D.C. and a multi-state government relations and public affairs firm in Jackson, Mississippi. Mabus said that given Whites ties to Bryant, he should have handed off his lead role in investigating to someone else. endobj The Mississippi Office of the State Auditor assisted with the investigation. The Mississippi Today investigation revealed that the former governor assisted a company called Prevacus, which improperly received welfare money, and he was poised to receive stock in the company until Whites office made arrests and announced its investigation. If legislators granted the Mississippi Division of Medicaid the ability to review income tax records as part of determining an applicant's eligibility, the agency could cut down on potential fraud, White said. He worked closely with federal authorities in the Operation Pretense investigation and prosecution of widespread county government corruption across Mississippi. The new law increases the statute of limitations on bribery from three years to five years. William Winter, whom I worked for as governor and a little bit on a campaign and I was his legal counsel, Mabus said. A: The State Auditor's Office makes an arrest in the course of an investigation when a prosecutor, often a local district attorney, has secured an indictment against an individual. That is what actually led to the meeting, the mayor said. Perhaps you can help explain their interest level at this time.. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Her background in political science helps her cut through the noise to find and explain the truth. Just as in the forensic audit you saw the auditors reached out to a number of people. Email Anne: anne@magnoliatribune.com. One of the recipients of almost $1.1 million in welfare funds was former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who lives in Mississippi. (601) 321-6000 Email Website Facebook Twitter. {R)cLS&X?AIF'N3j Legislative Update BX1I &)c)K1 dXJ5! Box 956 Attorneys fees pulled from Jackson claims docket due to auditors investigation, Truck possibly connected to Hinds County jail escape found in Newton County, Teen arrested after two dead, four others injured in Bay St. Louis shooting, Paraplegic fisherman speaks to Beulah Baptist Church, Eleven players with Mississippi ties selected in 2023 NFL Draft, City of Byram awarded thousands of state dollars for infrastructure projects, Belhaven football puts a smile on the face of little girl, First Alert Forecast: mild breezes Monday; rain, storm chances return late week, Request a First Alert Weather School Visit. Former Mississippi Gov. Got a story tip? Phil Bryant. Careers The total demand amount$1,991,774.10includes interest and investigative costs. Documents obtained by WLBT earlier this month showed Auditor Shad White had launched an inquiry into the councils legal expenses related to its nearly two-year-long battle with the mayor over garbage pickup. In its report, the auditors office found two people who were receiving benefits despite reporting six-figure incomes on their state taxes. In fact, no one in the room had even thought about attorneys. Jon Salem, who was fired from the council in August, said he was fired for bringing forward concerns that the council was misspending grant money, including those from local government. He noted that "funds from these programs are to be used for the neediest and most vulnerable in our society.". "It doesn't look good." Former Gov. White did face questions about Bryant, given that the former governors director of human services and close friends of Bryant were among those arrested and indicted, and the malfeasance appeared to involve programs or companies Bryant had championed. Commenting on the indictments, State Auditor Stacey Pickering said, "It is a very sad day in Mississippi when two men with a history of public service are charged with blatantly committing crimes to increase their personal fortunes. And when those facts are looming out there, youve got to back off and ask will my involvement jeopardize the integrity of the investigation I think (White) is a man of high integrity, but you asked me personally what I would do and thats it.. Today State Auditor Shad White announced former Coahoma Community College employees Gwendolyn Jefferson and Stacie Neal were each sentenced to serve five years in prison. (WLBT) Mississippi Department of Human Services Executive Director Bob Anderson says though the State Auditor issued civil demands to eleven individuals and groups earlier this week, the agency will continue working with former U.S. Attorney Brad Piggot on the criminal investigation.

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