Guilty plea for stealing money from needy school children

Photo: Carol Jackson (Courtesy photo)

State Auditor Shad White has announced that Carol Jackson, former Executive Director of the non-profit On Track, has pleaded guilty to fraud in Sunflower County. District Attorney Dewayne Richardson’s Office prosecuted the case.

Special Agents from the Auditor’s office arrested Jackson in August of 2021. Jackson was the executive director of a nonprofit organization supposedly administering a Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) program meant to provide meals to needy school children during the summer months. She submitted fraudulent documents to MDE and stole over $40,000 from the program. She used program funds to write herself over $20,000 in checks in addition to withdrawing thousands of dollars from an ATM at a local casino and spending nearly $2,000 on personal travel. The total amount civilly and criminally Jackson fraudulently stole was $62,627.66.

“Once again, we’ve seen money stolen from a program intended to help some of the poorest Mississippians,” said Auditor White. “Thanks to the efforts of the investigators at the Office of the State Auditor and prosecutors, this scheme has been stopped. We will continue to work hard protecting your money.”

Sentencing will be set at a later date.

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 via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.

News Release

Carol Jackson (Courtesy photo)

Bob Bakken

Bob Bakken is the most recognized and most trusted name in DeSoto County news and sports reporting, as readers continue to express their appreciation for his accuracy and fairness in the stories he writes. Bob is also heard on 95.3 The Rebel twice a week with sports updates and high school football play-by-play broadcasts in the fall. A former newspaper editor and writer, his award-winning background also includes television news producing, sports media relations, and radio broadcasting.

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