John Lee, a prominent local attorney, has now been named in court filings related to the tax evasion charges of Charles and Linda Bolton. Lee’s attorney informed the court that he will take the fifth amendment if called to testify. Invoking the 5th amendment will protect Lee from possible self incrimination. Lee is a close […]
“My (arbitrator’s) conclusion is that the city and Mr. Wallace have engaged in what I’m going to call a rope-a-dope approach to this case, to this contract, to this litigation without any real effort to provide meaningful factual or legal defenses” (page 28 lines 4-9) A $1.8 million dollar sewer project turned into a massive loss for […]
A recent motion to continue court filing by Televangelist Kenny Fairley and his attorney not only reveal significant issues with the defense in his fraud trial, but they also reveal new information about the government’s dual investigations, involving the FBI and HUD, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s related prosecution. The most significant aspect of this case […]
Hattiesburg Public School District has been on a financial downward spiral ever since 2011, when two things happened. Katrina grant funds ran out, and James Bacchus became Superintendent of HPSD. Bacchus’ appointment was a shock to many, as Bacchus had done a terrible job in his public interview, according to many in attendance. Bacchus also […]
Back in January the bottom fell out of the world of some high profile individuals here in the Pine Belt. Their jet set lives became grounded in a new reality of seizure notices for allegedly defrauding our veterans, workman’s compensation, and insurance companies. If charges are indeed filed against individuals by the U.S Attorney’s office, […]
The City of Hattiesburg Municipal Court was at the center of alleged corruption and mismanagement back in the summer of 2012. An HPD internal affairs report leaked to the media, revealed many concerns about a couple of the judges and several clerks there. The report detailed allegations of clerks taking bribes in the form of […]
nepotism – The practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs. The Forrest County Board of Supervisors has a long standing practice of engaging in conflicts of interests and violations of basic ethics laws. The problem with the ethics statutes in Mississippi is there are no teeth […]
Normally, with competent, honest people in positions of the public’s trust they work to save money, to get the most for the people they serve. Then there are those who enter politics, and act in a manner through sheer greed or stupidity, where they or their friends benefit financially. The latter seems to be more […]
Readers will need to start of with Part 1 here. The mystery man in this whole thing is Artie Fletcher. Fletcher was indicted along with Fairley in an alleged HUD fraud scheme, involving a number of properties in Hattiesburg; one being the house located at 127 East 5th Street. What blew the investigation wide open for HP investigators was […]
Many people in the community may recall a mortgage flipping scandal involving a number of criminals which occurred in the late 90’s and early to mid 2000’s. A msNewsNow report dating back to 2006 reported on the mortgage fraud scheme saying, “Five people have pleaded guilty to Federal charges of mortgage fraud for their role in […]
