Former Southaven Band Booster treasurer pleads guilty in $39,000 embezzlement case

A long-running investigation into missing funds from a local school support group reached a milestone Thursday as the former treasurer of the Southaven Band Boosters pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement.

District Attorney Matthew Barton announced the conviction of Krystina Thompson, who admitted to stealing $39,161.94 from the organization over a nine-month period between June 2024 and March 2025. The financial discrepancy was first uncovered following a popular fundraiser involving the sale of chocolate bars.

According to Barton, the chocolate supplier notified the band boosters of an outstanding balance despite successful sales. An internal review by booster leadership revealed “troubling indicators of fraud,” leading to a criminal investigation by the Southaven Police Department.

Barton noted that while Thompson served as the treasurer of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit, she converted the funds for her own personal use rather than supporting the band students.

“Nothing really makes me angrier than fraud and abuse,” Barton said during the announcement. “I get irritated when taxpayers are ripped off, and I get upset when children are ripped off. Our school system is the reason people move to DeSoto County, and when someone tries to rip these kids off, it bothers us.”

The prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Ben Weathers, has met with the band boosters multiple times to discuss restitution. While Thompson now stands as a convicted felon, her formal sentencing has been stayed until March 16.

The delay is intended to provide Thompson a final window to repay the stolen funds.

“The children need to be paid back,” Barton stated. “This is an opportunity for her to get the money together… that’ll be her opportunity to tell the court what she’s done to try to make this right.”

Thompson faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Prosecutors indicated that any recommendation for leniency would depend heavily on how much of the $39,161.94 is returned to the students before the March court date.

Barton also praised the cooperation of DeSoto County Schools Superintendent Cory Uselton and school resource officers for their assistance in the case, citing the importance of oversight in charitable organizations.

“You need to have checks and balances,” Barton warned. “We hope that by highlighting cases like this, other organizations will look internally and put things in place to prevent this from happening to them.”