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BENTON COUNTY, Miss. (7News) — Shannon Wilburn, the former tax collector for Benton County, Mississippi, has pleaded guilty to embezzling over $300,000 in funds that were intended for the county. The money was taken from daily collections paid to the county and used for Wilburn’s personal gain.
State Auditor Shad White announced the guilty plea on Wednesday, revealing that Wilburn had been sentenced to 10 years in prison, with 9 years suspended. Wilburn will serve 1 year under house arrest, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision.
In addition to the prison sentence, Wilburn was ordered to pay restitution of more than $150,000 to the county to recover a portion of the stolen funds.
