Former Mississippi Department of Corrections commissioner Pelicia Hall is accused of taking money she did not earn while working as a state employee.
State Auditor Shad White’s office issued a civil demand to Hall, alleging that she caused the government to lose more than $142,000 for fraudulent timesheets.
Hall is accused of initiating and receiving six ineligible comp time buyouts between August 2017 and February 2020. White’s office said the state Constitution prohibited her from being compensated for the unapproved hours.
The former commissioner was reportedly compensated for 1,810 hours despite being ineligible to receive a cash payout for that time.
“It’s vitally important that government officials know where they can and cannot spend taxpayer dollars,” White said. “I’m grateful for our investigators’ abilities and patience to get these tax dollars back where they belong.”
Hall announced her resignation from MDOC in 2019, and it went into effect in mid-January 2020. She stepped down from the post amid growing public scrutiny and issues within the state’s prison system.