Nelms, Mitchell plead guilty in public corruption case
CORINTH, Miss. (AP) — A former Alcorn County supervisor and a vendor have pleaded guilty in a public corruption case.
State Auditor Stacey Pickering said Tuesday that Jimmy Nelms pleaded guilty before Circuit Judge Paul Funderburk to charges of false representation to defraud government, fraudulently obtaining public funds and embezzlement.
Nelms, already in custody after his bond was revoked in an unrelated case, received 30 years in prison with 18 years suspended and was ordered to pay $308,244 in restitution and $5,000 in fines. He resigned from the board of supervisors and withdrew his candidacy for re-election after the second arrest. Jimmy Ray Mitchell pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining public funds and false representation to defraud government. He was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $95,382 in restitution.
