State Auditor Shad White announced on Thursday the arrests of former Coffeeville School District Superintendent Vivian Robinson, along with Melissa Nance and Tammy Briggs, for their involvement in a fraudulent scheme. The trio faces charges of fraudulent statements, conspiracy, and obtaining an object of value with intent to defraud.
According to authorities, Robinson and her co-conspirators created a business designed to appear as an educational consulting firm. Robinson, while serving as superintendent, authorized payments to this fake business, despite the fact that only minimal services were performed. In total, the three individuals are accused of fraudulently drawing nearly $45,000 from the Coffeeville School District.
The scheme was uncovered during an audit conducted by the Office of the State Auditor’s Compliance Audit Division.
Auditor Shad White expressed concern over the misuse of public funds: “For the second time in a month, we’ve identified money that should have benefited public school students that was misspent. We will work with prosecutors to protect the interests of those students and the taxpayers.”
The Gulfport Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department all assisted with the arrests. Upon their arrest, the three were served with demand letters stating they owe a total of $84,171.06 in restitution to taxpayers, including interest and investigative expenses.
The Office of the State Auditor encourages the public to report suspected fraud online at www.osa.ms.gov or by phone at 1-(800)-321-1275 during business hours.
All individuals arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The case will be prosecuted by District Attorney John W. Champion.
While Robinson had a $100,000 surety bond in place for her role as superintendent, no surety bond covered Nance or Briggs. Surety bonds are designed to protect taxpayers in the event that public funds are misused. All three individuals will remain liable for the full restitution amounts, in addition to the criminal charges they face.
