News

2 economic developers indicted for bribery and embezzlement

Federal officials said two women have been indicted in connection with an embezzlement and bribery scheme related to grant funds and the construction of community housing projects in the Mississippi Delta.

Connie Lewis, 52, of Jackson, an employee of the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), faces nine counts of accepting a total of over $250,000 in cash bribes from Jimmy Stokes, a general contractor in the Mississippi Delta, in return for her influence at the MDA in directing federal grant funds to Stokes Construction Company.
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