RED BANKS, Miss — A former north Mississippi Fire Chief and fire department secretary have been indicted for embezzlement.
Former Red Banks Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mark Hanna and former RBVFD secretary Linda Mannon were arrested in Marshall County.
Hanna is accused of using fire department money to buy farm and lawn equipment for personal use and using public money to make a house payment. Agents are demanding that he repay $3,459.15.
Mannon is accused of issuing herself more than 100 different fire department checks totaling more than $30,000. Agents are demanding she repay $47,229.12.
The Auditor’s office said Marshall County officials noticed accounting discrepancies at the fire department and filed a complaint. They said the embezzlement lasted from October 2015 to February 2019.
Both Hanna and Mannon face up to 20 years in prison and $5,000 in fines if convicted.
The State Auditor also said a third demand letter was issued to Odis Pruitt, a former RBVFD board member, to recover public money spent in error. Pruitt is not criminally charged.
Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online any time by clicking the red “Report Fraud” button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours by calling 1-800-321-1275.
