From The Mississippi Link Newswire
JACKSON – (AP) William Grady Sims, 61, the former mayor of Walnut Grove, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to federal witness tampering involving a female inmate he had sex with.
Sims is scheduled to be sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette, III, on April 24, at 10:30 a.m., and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Sims was elected as mayor of Walnut Grove in 1981, making him one of the longest continually serving mayors in the state, having served over 30 years.
Federal authorities said in October 2009, Sims became the administrator or warden of the Walnut Grove Transition Center in Walnut Grove, which at the time was a privately owned and operated facility contracted by MDOC to house state inmates.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen said in November 2009, Sims rented a motel room in Carthage, drove a female inmate in his custody from the Walnut Grove Transition Center to the motel room, and had sex with her.
During a federal grand jury investigation of the sexual encounter, Sims was recorded during several telephone calls with the female inmate instructing the inmate to lie to investigators and to say they had never had sex and had never been together in that motel room.
Sims was subsequently interviewed by the FBI and admitted to having sex with the female inmate.
As part of the plea agreement, Sims was required to immediately resign his position as mayor of the Town of Walnut Grove, not to run for any public office or be employed by any governmental entity in the future.
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