Two Tallahatchie County Road Department workers were arrested recently in connection with the alleged misuse of county resources.
State Auditor Shad White said in a statement today that Willie James Garner and Willie B. Williams were taken into custody by special agents of the state auditor's office "for allegedly defrauding Tallahatchie County by using county equipment, materials, and labor to deliver dirt to the home of Willie Garner."
Garner, 56, and Williams, 70, allegedly utilized county dump trucks and county employees to deliver the dirt.
Both men were arrested shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 14, and booked into the Tallahatchie County Jail in Sumner on charges of conspiracy and embezzlement, according to entries in a jail docket book there. Both men bonded out about two hours later. The amount of the bond was not specified in the docket book.
"The auditor's office has zero-tolerance for theft of taxpayer funds and we will continue to work closely with prosecutors to hold criminals accountable," said White.
Garner and Williams face up to $10,000 in fines and 15 years in prison if convicted.
White said suspected fraud can be reported to the auditor's office by calling 1-800-321-1275 during normal business hours or by clicking the red button on the website and filling out a form at any time.
