OXFORD, Miss. — A Mississippi school superintendent and a schoolteacher pleaded guilty in federal court on charges of conspiracy to commit embezzlement, officials announced.
Earl Joe Nelson, of Biloxi, served as superintendent of the Clarksdale Municipal School District from July 2019 to May 2022 and later became superintendent of the Leake County School District in October 2022. Monekea Smith-Taylor, a schoolteacher from the St. Louis, Missouri, area, also entered a guilty plea in the case.
In a related case from October 2025, Mario Willis, former superintendent of the Hollandale School District, pleaded guilty to participating in the same conspiracy.
According to federal officials, Nelson and Willis abused their positions of trust by entering into reciprocal consulting contracts, generating payments for inflated services or services that were never provided.
From November 2021 to June 2023, Willis paid approximately $94,400 to consulting companies for Nelson’s personal benefit. During a similar period, Nelson authorized payments totaling nearly $49,000 from two Mississippi school districts for Willis’ benefit. Officials said many of the invoices used to justify the payments were nearly identical, with only names changed.
Authorities also said Willis directed more than $250,000 in payments to Erudition Consulting Company, LLC, owned by Smith-Taylor. Investigators allege Smith-Taylor met with Nelson in person and paid him cash kickbacks, often totaling half of the amount she received from the school district.
Nelson, Willis, and Smith-Taylor each face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Their sentences will be determined by U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock following consideration of federal sentencing guidelines.
“This case reflects a serious abuse of trust,” said U.S. Attorney Scott F. Leary, emphasizing that misconduct in education harms both children and taxpayers. Officials from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General echoed those sentiments, stating the defendants will be held accountable for diverting resources meant for students.
The case was investigated by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton A. Dabbs.
