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JACKSON, Miss. – Today State Auditor Shad White announced Special Agents from his office have arrested a nurse previously employed by the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board at the State Veterans Home in Collins. Brittany Ransom was arrested after she was indicted for embezzlement and making false representations to defraud government by a grand jury assembled by District Attorney for the 15th District Matthew Sullivan. Ransom was delivered a demand letter worth $15,505.47 at the time of her arrest. Accrued interest and investigative costs are included in the demand amount.
Ransom is accused of submitting fraudulent timesheets to receive compensation for time she was not working. She allegedly claimed more than 440 overtime hours by abusing the electronic timekeeping system at the Veterans’ home. She would purportedly scan herself as present and leave the nursing facility, eventually returning to scan herself out of the system. Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board Executive Director Stacey Pickering alerted the Auditor’s office after Veterans Home employees reported Ransom when she bragged about receiving a large payroll check.
“For anyone who thinks embezzlement of public funds is a victimless crime, think of the veterans in this case. We owe it to all Mississippians—and particularly our veterans—to make sure that their money is not stolen,” said Auditor White. “I’m thankful for the help of Director Pickering in holding Ms. Ransom accountable.”
“I want to thank State Auditor White and his staff for their work protecting the integrity and reputation of the taxpayers in our state. Their work is particularly important when someone takes money from the veterans who wore our nation’s uniform and defended our freedoms,” Stacey Pickering said.
No surety bond covered Ransom’s employment at the State Veterans Home at Collins. A surety bond is similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from embezzlement and corruption. Ransom will remain liable for the full amount of the demand in addition to criminal charges.
If convicted, Ransom faces up to 15 years in prison and $15,000 in fines. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case will be prosecuted by the office of District Attorney Sullivan.
Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.
