Fraud suspect indicted, extradited from Texas
Wednesday, State Auditor Shad White announced former Mississippi State Hospital Police Department officer Roberto Williams has been arrested in Texas and extradited back to Mississippi after he was indicted for fraud by a Rankin County grand jury. Special Agents presented a $3,135.62 demand letter to Williams. The demand amount includes interest and investigative expenses.
Williams is accused of submitting fraudulent timesheets to receive payment for time he was not actually working. He allegedly left work for extended periods of time while he was “clocked in” and being paid by the police department. Williams’s purported scheme took place in 2020 from April to June – soon after he was hired. Officials from the Mississippi State Hospital Police Department contacted the Auditor’s office after noticing discrepancies in Williams’s timesheets.
“I want to thank District Attorney Bramlett, the investigators in the Office of the State Auditor, and all the other law enforcement officers who worked on this case,” said Auditor White. “We are committed to working together to safeguard public money.”
Williams was arrested in late January by the Navarro College Department of Public Safety with assistance from the Lancaster Police Department. He was transported back to Mississippi by the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department. Bail will be set by the court.
If convicted, Williams faces up to 5 years in prison or $10,000 in fines. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case will be prosecuted by the office of District Attorney John Bramlett.
No surety bond covers Williams’s employment as a police officer at the Mississippi State Hospital. Surety bonds are similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption. Williams will remain liable for the full amount of the demand in addition to criminal proceedings.
Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.
News Release
