State Auditor Shad White has announced Shoral Bounds has pleaded guilty to Embezzlement. Bounds, a former lead cashier for Clarksdale Public Utilities, was indicted and arrested for embezzlement in June of 2022. The guilty plea was recorded in Judge Hunter Nowell’s courtroom.
Bounds embezzled customer utility payments and manipulated the computer system to show that her daily collections were less than she collected. Bounds was ordered to pay $115,981.33 in restitution and other court fees.
“Thank you to the dedicated investigators who worked this matter for our office,” said White. “We will continue to send the message that there will be zero tolerance for theft of public funds in Mississippi.”
Bounds is now a convicted felony offense and will never be able to handle public money again. Judge Nowell’s sentencing order will be filed with the Coahoma Circuit Clerk’s office for public inspection.
A $50,000 surety bond covers Bounds’s employment at the Clarksdale Public Utilities. Surety bonds are similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption. Bounds will remain liable for the total amount of the demand in addition to criminal proceedings.
Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online at any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or calling 1-(800)-321-1275 during normal business hours.
