Hinds County District Attorney, Jody E. Owens, II, announced on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 that John Davis, the former Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, pled guilty to five (5) counts of Conspiracy and thirteen (13) counts of Fraud against the Government.
“While this case is far from over, John Davis’s guilty plea is a resounding victory for the State of Mississippi and its citizens.” said District Attorney Owens.
Davis was one of six Defendants arrested and later indicted in February of 2020 in one of the largest embezzlement schemes in the history of the State of Mississippi. Davis was charged in a multi-count indictment for: illegal misappropriation of funds, bribery, mail fraud, conspiracy, fraudulent statements and embezzling millions of dollars from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF).
Under the Plea Agreement, the State recommends that Davis be sentenced to ninety (90) years with thirty-two (32) years of that sentence to be served in prison. Additionally, Davis is required to pay restitution in the amount of $220,897.
“In the face of jurisdictional disputes and criticism for doing too much or too little, this office stayed focused on what is most important, justice for a crime that involved abuse of power and the misappropriation and unlawful diversion of millions of dollars intended to help our State’s most vulnerable citizens.” District Attorney Owens said. “I firmly believe in Mississippi Justice for a Mississippi crime and my office will always stand against public corruption in all its forms.”