Mississippi Office of the State Auditor

09/03/2026

In January, State Auditor Shad White began an analysis on car tag fees in the state of Mississippi. Analysts determined Mississippi has the second-highest car tag fees in the country, with costs often approaching or exceeding $1,000.

Our office has also uncovered more than $400 million in waste. State government needs to get serious about cutting down on waste, so we can make sure each dollar is spent in a way that benefits the taxpayer—like cutting car tag fees.

09/02/2026

Former Laurel Public Works Director Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

JACKSON, Miss. – Today State Auditor Shad White announced that Luther Russell, former Laurel Public Works Director, has pleaded guilty to one count of Embezzlement.

Russell instructed City of Laurel employees to load the city’s track hoe on the city’s Low-Boy trailer and transport them to his property. Russell then used the equipment to conduct work on his own personal property.

“My office has recovered more money in the last eight years than any other eight-year period in the history of the Auditor’s Office,” said State Auditor Shad White. “We will continue working with prosecutors to deliver record results for taxpayers.”

Luther was sentenced by the Jones County Circuit Court to five years house arrest, three years’ probation, and ordered to pay back $21,057 in restitution, $1,000 to the Public Defender Fund, $500 in fines, and $427.50 in court costs.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office at any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or calling 1-(800) 321-1275 during normal business hours.

08/31/2026

Auditor's Office Makes Four Arrests as Part of Operation Payback

JACKSON, Miss. – Today State Auditor Shad White announced that Special Agents from his office have arrested Felisa Suggs, Nathanial Coleman, P’Trance Fields, and Kavisia Blaylock for allegedly submitting and obtaining fraudulent unemployment funds by using the stolen identities of various inmates incarcerated within the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC).

“My office found that over half a billion dollars in illegal unemployment claims were given out during the pandemic,” said State Auditor Shad White. “That’s why my team started Operation Payback to recover as much of that misspent money as possible.”

Agents with the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor discovered four unemployment claims submitted to MDES using the names of inmates incarcerated in the full-time custody of MDOC. Coleman and Fields allegedly took the identities of inmates to which they had close proximity while incarcerated and used their information to submit fraudulent unemployment claims. Blaylock and Suggs then allegedly used various CashApp and bank accounts to launder the fraudulently obtained funds.

Suggs, Coleman, Fields, and Blaylock each face up to $35,000 in fines and 40 years in prison if convicted. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office at any time by clicking the red button on the Auditor's website or calling 1-(800) 321-1275 during normal business hours.

08/27/2026

It's been over a month now since the Mississippi Department of Education began the new classroom supply fund program and made it available to teachers.

Our office has said for years now that the state should make these funds available to all teachers at least by July 15th. We plan to conduct an analysis into the new classroom supply fund program and evaluate whether it has served teachers effectively.

We know that some teachers did not receive access to their funds by July 15th. MDE should ensure that this doesn't happen again next year.

Teachers shouldn't be left with a choice of either starting the year with an empty classroom or going out of pocket for classroom supplies. Teachers deserve better.

08/26/2026

State Auditor Shad White has been talking about this issue for years.

Send more money into the classroom and stop wasting so much of it on administrative waste.

08/25/2026

Mississippi spends more of our education budget on administration than every other state in the South despite also having some of the lowest paid teachers in the country.

Mississippi teachers would be among the highest paid in the nation if the Legislature enacted a proposal from our office requiring at least 50% of all education dollars go to teacher salaries. This would cut administrative waste and redirect money where it makes the most difference.

08/24/2026

08/20/2026

State Auditor Shad White earlier this year commissioned an analysis to determine why Mississippi's Medicaid program had never reported spending on care for illegal aliens despite federal law requiring it.

During this work, the Mississippi Division of Medicaid identified approximately $10.5 million spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens from FFY 2023 to FFY 2025.

Taxpayers deserve to know how their money is being spent—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Anyone interested in the full report can find it on our website under the "Reports" tab by searching "Medicaid."

08/17/2026

This summer the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor has:

✔ announced a guilty plea from a man attempting to fraudulently collect unemployment benefits
✔ found that taxpayers paid up to $30.9 million during FY2024 for children who were reported absent from childcare centers receiving the funds
✔ started a new audit initiative that focuses on finding waste in smaller, overlooked boards and commissions
✔ worked with prosecutors to get guilty pleas from former school superintendents who embezzled nearly $400,000

And the work continues!