Officials in DeSoto County, Mississippi, have formally charged Charles Roberts, a former Republican alderman from Horn Lake, with unemployment fraud. DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton and Mississippi State Auditor Shad White announced on Wednesday that Roberts had been indicted for allegedly having received unemployment benefits while he was to be actively employed by the city in 2020. This information comes directly from a press conference covered by Action News 5.
Roberts is alleged to have improperly taken anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 in unemployment funds, as reported by FOX13 Memphis. If convicted, the potential penalties include an obligation to pay a $10,000 fine and possibly serve up to five years in prison. The case punctuates what State Auditor White describes as an epidemic of unemployment compensation fraud that reportedly cost Mississippi over half a billion dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Roberts' attorney, Tony Farese, argues that the debt has already been repaid to the state. According to WREG, Farese said, "This was paid in July. How can the state auditor’s office not know that?" He explained that wages had been garnished and that his client sold his home earlier this year to pay the state $16,948 to settle the alleged overpayment. Farese emphasized that the total amount repaid was more than the $23,000 initially demanded by the state.
Despite the claim of repayment, the controversy has persisted, highlighting questions about the communication and investigative efforts of state offices. "Im tired of political shenanigans by Mr. White’s office," Farese told WREG. "If Shad White and his office had been properly investigated, they would have seen that Mr. Roberts had already paid." In response, DA Barton suggested that further inquiries should be directed to the Mississippi Department of Employment Services.
The story remains evolving with the legal process ongoing and Roberts, who lost his bid for re-election in 2021, having been released from the DeSoto County jail after posting a $7,500 bond. The announcement of his indictment signifies only the latest in a series of measures to crack down on unemployment fraud in Mississippi.
