mississippi state auditor investigations
Mississippi state auditor says state's DHS wasted tens of millions of grant money . Mississippi is now taking steps to give investigators more time to look into bribery cases. No further arrests have been made since February of 2020 . 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. Phil Bryant, Phil Bryant had his sights on a payout as welfare funds flowed to Brett Favre, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Mississippi They have been privy to everything thats been going on in the city of Jackson for the last year, year and a half regarding garbage, he said. JACKSON, Miss. But the people who are at risk now are the people who vote on claims all the time.. The New's nonprofits received $9.4 million from MDHS from the time the auditor's office began investigating them in July 2019 until Feb. 4, 2020, two days before Nancy and Zack New were charged . The state began investigating Centene in 2019 after growing suspicion that Envolve Pharmacy Solutions, Centene's pharmacy benefit management subsidiary, was inflating its bills. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. (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. The Office of the State Auditor continues to serve as a watchdog organization to ensure that tax dollars are protected, and we pledge to perform our jobs with integrity, honesty and a commitment to excellence, White continued. However today, the Auditors office says PBMs are large corporations that have incredible power in the pharmaceutical industry. But in an October 2021 interview with Mississippi Today before the judge strengthened thegag order in the case to further restrict White the auditor said he had not seen instances of Bryant directing his welfare chief to spend federal money on specific programs. Internships 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.. Both women pleaded guilty to conspiracy and embezzlement. Toll Free: 1.800.321.1275, Contact The Office of State Auditor Shad White has issued the following statement: Everything Auditor White has said about this case is true and is backed by years of audit work by the professionals at the Office of the State Auditor. See a spelling or grammar error in our story? The NAACP called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate years of allegations of widespread welfare fraud and misspending in Mississippi totaling over $94 million, according to a letter obtained exclusively by ABC News. You can only publish select stories individually not as a collection. Several individuals in the case have accepted plea deals including former professional wrestler Brett DiBiase, who pleaded guilty in 2020 to a single count of making fraudulent statements for the purpose of defrauding the government. An April 14 email from City Attorney Catoria Martin to council members informed them that since April 5, we have received daily requests for additional information and for updates on the information previously provided.. Meanwhile, USM must find some. endobj Bryants appointment of his former campaign manager and policy director White as state auditor in 2018 was something of a surprise to most political observers. Richards filed its first complaint against the mayor and council last summer for failing to pay the company for trash collection services. At least two Mississippi Medicaid recipients are making six figures and living in million-dollar homes, according to State Auditor Shad White, and he wants legislators to strengthen Medicaid investigators powers as a result. The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Angel McIlraths office in the courtroom of Judge Kathy King Jackson. The NAACP called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate years of allegations of widespread welfare fraud and misspending in Mississippi totaling over $94 million, according to a letter obtained exclusively by ABC News. 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. - SB 2338 of 2022 which requires the Department of Human Services Fraud Investigations Unit to report suspected crimes to . Today State Auditor Shad White announced Jonathan Smith, a former employee of Jackson County, has been convicted of two counts of embezzlement. White, a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), grew up in Sandersville, Mississippi, population 731, in a blue-collar family. An early oddity in the auditors probe came when White went to the Hinds County District Attorneys Office notoriously understaffed and suffering huge backlogs of cases after he launched an eight-month investigation without notifying federal authorities. (844) 437-6282 Website. See The Spending Shad White, the Mississippi state auditor, right, and Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens discuss the auditor's office investigation about millions in federal money meant for the poor, in . Governor Tate Reeves signed House Bill 405, authored by Representative Nick Bain, R-Corinth, which increases the statute of limitations on bribery from three years to five years, imitating federal law. In a text message Tuesday afternoon, Scanlon also addressed the discrepancy mentioned by Williamson, saying the companys engagement letter with the city clearly lays out the rate for Senior Partner Jerry Mills. At the center of the state's UnitedHealth probe is OptumRX, a UnitedHealth subsidiary that manages prescription drug plans. <> All rights reserved. <> The new law increases the statute of limitations on bribery from three years to five years. But shortly after the arrests, White said that then-Gov. Attorney Felicia Perkins confirmed during the April 17 hearing that the memo referenced in the court filings was the document being submitted. He previously served as an investigative reporter and political editor at the Sun Herald, where he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for Hurricane Katrina coverage. Some have agreed to, some have not. 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.. The famed quarterback and Mississippi native received $1.1 million in funds from a nonprofit whose . Originally from Florence, Mississippi, Pender is a journalism graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and has received numerous awards throughout his career for reporting, columns and freedom of information efforts. ", 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). At this time, MDHS has no plans to change our engagement with Mr. Piggot in assisting with the continued investigation of the misuse of TANF funds. 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 . Mississippi is one of several states probing the billing practices of its pharmacy benefit managers. Advertising Non-Discrimination Certification. "The Department received the letter and will review it," a spokesperson for the Justice Department told ABC News in a statement. Centene also received two contract extensions. We believe the taxpayers of Mississippi deserve no less., By joining our newsletter, you are confirming that you agree with the Privacy Policy. The fight has resulted in at least eight lawsuits, including one that was settled last week. The council eventually settled with Richards out of court and agreed to pay the company roughly $4.8 million in back pay for work already done, as well as more than $800,000 a month through March 31 this year. When asked for comment about this alleged fraud, a Mississippi Division of Medicaid spokesperson said it was the divisions own investigators who originally caught the fraud. In 2021 an investigation into PBMS resulted in a $55 million settlement, OSA said. Legislative Update Agency Directory. On Tuesday, the council voted down the claims docket after an item to pay approximately $45,000 in councils attorneys fees was pulled from it at the behest of the City Attorneys Office. k"=z@T 3 0 obj Box 1699 Jackson, MS 39215-1699. If youre not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and include our website, You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor. Keith. Favre allegedly received the funds for speeches that he did not give, the AP reported. Phil Bryant. Anna has received national recognition for her work, including the 2021 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the 2021 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, the 2021 John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Award, the 2020 Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award and the February 2020 Sidney Award for reporting on Mississippis debtors prisons. Reveal contacts of top Mississippi Office of the State Auditor managers and employees. 4 0 obj Patterson said that were he in Whites position, I would hope that I would have recused myself or brought the attorney general in to do the investigation., Having said that, its a timing thing, Patterson said. Fax: 601.576.2687 The Mississippi State Auditor's Office is looking intowhether UnitedHealth Group, the fifth largest company in the U.S., is over-billing Medicaid for prescription drugs. Shad went on to earn degrees from the University of Mississippi, B|?uo. April 25, 2023 at 9:05 a.m. EDT. Legislative Update The charges are one count of embezzlement, three counts of false representations to defraud the government, and one count of alteration of records. The fraud allegations were first revealed in 2020 by state prosecutors in one of the largest cases involving embezzlement claims in state history. 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. She also worked as an investigative reporter for the Center for Public Integrity and Jackson Free Press, the capital citys alternative newsweekly. Jackson, MS 39205-0956 Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. It would potentially be approving an unauthorized expenditure, said Williamson. This is the entry-level of professional program auditor work. White also said then that it was the welfare directors duty to reject improper requests from the governor, not the governors responsibility to know the rules and laws. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, right, confers with fellow Republican and Gov. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The Mississippi Department of Human Services said in a statement Monday to ABC News: "The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) has been in limited, one-way communication with the federal authorities. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File - Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. White has said that after his initial eight-month investigation and arrests, he has involved federal authorities and turned over everything his investigators have. Multiple requests for comment to UnitedHealth went unanswered. In June 2021, the State of Mississippi reached a $55.5 million settlement with the Centene Corporation and their PBM thanks to this investigation, OSA said in the report. Phil Bryant's own words about his role in the state's welfare fraud scandal are a great understatement.. And now at the three-year mark since investigators began nibbling at the edges of what state Auditor Shad White has called the largest public fraud case in state history, things still don't look good. P.O. <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> In May, it opted to extend the contract for another year, the last extension allowed under the current deal. All rights reserved. READ MORE: State Auditor Shad White discusses welfare investigation, former Gov. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services. 7 0 obj largest civil recovery after an auditors investigation in the history of the office, and concluded cases that, collectively, led to hundreds The spotlight on White has grown more intense in the wake of Mississippi Todays The Backchannel investigation, which showed Bryant using private texts to influence his welfare director and try to broker a deal with a pharmaceutical startup that enticed him with stock in the company.
