(Jackson, Miss.) State Auditor Stacey Pickering filed a civil lawsuit and has served Robert Graham, a member of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors and former City of Jackson employee, with the necessary paperwork. The State Auditor’s Office issued a demand against Graham on May 26, 2011 for wages he received from the City of Jackson while conducting dispatcher certification classes as well as other expenses. Graham has refused to repay $45,736.05. The civil lawsuit served on February 29 is an effort to recover these funds.

The certification courses were taught by Graham during regular work hours when Graham indicated on his City of Jackson timesheets that he had been at work. Attendees for the classes paid fees to a private company, Professional Dispatch Management, owned by Robert Graham, to earn certifications and re-certifications through the National Emergency Communications Institute. The actions took place from 2004 – 2007 when Graham was certified to teach for the National Emergency Communications Institute. NECI has since revoked his certification and no longer allows Graham to administer its programs.

“Our investigation began on this case in 2008 when our office received the first complaint,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “The investigation indicated Graham’s time and expenses to recreate training material were paid by the City of Jackson when Graham was clearly not doing City business. We work to recover misappropriated funds as quickly as possible and consider civil lawsuits a final tool to recover funds. It is sometimes necessary when individuals refuse to pay after being issued a demand.”

The Mississippi Auditor’s Office is investigating the $35,000 utility fund stipend that Southaven Mayor Greg Davis until recently received as part of his salary, and auditors also plan to ask aldermen for a second review of charges by Davis on his city-issued credit card.

“We are checking to see if he has to repay that money to the city and the legality of it,” Lisa Shoemaker, a spokesman for Auditor Stacey Pickering’s office, said of the utility stipend.

Davis started receiving the $35,000 annual stipend to oversee the department after the accidental drowning of utility director Chris Hadaway in 2009.

After The Commercial Appeal reported the stipend, it was cut on Jan. 18 by Alderman Greg Guy while he was acting mayor in Davis’ absence.

The stipend — along with two others, a $5,000 educational stipend and a $2,700 longevity stipend — have since all come under scrutiny.

Coupled with the mayor’s $145,000 annual salary, the stipends brought Davis’ salary to more than $187,000, making him one of the highest-paid elected officials in the state.

Aldermen are awaiting an opinion from the state Attorney General’s Office on the legality of the educational and longevity stipends before deciding whether to cut them from Davis’ salary.

Shoemaker said the educational and longevity stipends will not be investigated by the Auditor’s Office because they fall under city-related business.

Meanwhile, she said auditors have asked the Southaven Board of Aldermen to once again review charges Davis made on his city-issued credit card.

“We’re asking them for a second review,” Shoemaker said.

The mayor’s expenses since last year have been the focus of an ongoing state auditor’s and federal investigation.

In November, the Auditor’s Office ordered that Davis repay $170,000 in personal charges, penalties and interest to the city for unsubstantiated expenses spent on family counseling, personal trips, meals and clothing, including $67 spent at a gay sex shop in Toronto.

Through a group of supporters, Davis has repaid $96,000 of the money but still owes nearly $63,000.

Shoemaker said before the remainder of the money is repaid, auditors want to “look under a microscope at everything related to Mayor Davis.”

That includes his mileage reimbursements from the city, his travel expenses and a $1,000 donation he made to a political action committee supporting Mississippi State University, his alma mater.

Alderman Ronnie Hale said board members have been going over the credit card statements for the past few weeks and hope to wrap up an internal investigation by next week.

“We have been working to verify each charge to see if they are personal in nature,” Hale said. “Most of it has been easy to track to being a city expense, but there are a few questionable items that we are getting explanations for.”

He said once the board finishes with its examination of the statements, it will turn over its findings to auditors.

Shoemaker said the Auditor’s Office is still reviewing the board’s liability related to the expenses.

“We are working to wrap everything up sooner rather than later,” Shoemaker said. “And yes, it is still under review if the board will be held liable for any of the charges.”

GREENE COUNTY, Mississippi — Former Greene County Chancery Clerk Latricia Ann Cornelson was arrested today accused of embezzling more than $55,000 from the county’s general fund from 2005 until 2007, state Auditor Stacey Pickering said.
Cornelson, 47, is currently an administrator for the Greene County Board of Supervisors and was arrested at her office earlier today.
Cornelson was first elected chancery clerk in 1994 and lost a fourth reelection bid in 2007 to Michelle Eubanks, the current chancery clerk. Cornelson also had an unsuccessful bid for state House 105 seat in November. She ran as an independent and lost to Republican Dennis DeBar.
When Cornelson left the chancery clerk’s office in 2007 she had to repay the county $9,254.62 for failure to perform duties by order of the state Auditor’s office. An investigation was then launched concerning the finances in the chancery clerk’s office under Cornelson’s administration.
Investigators with Pickering’s office served Cornelson today with the 7 count indictment and took her into custody. She allegedly took money from the general fund from January 2005 until November 2007, according to Pickering.