The proprietor of TDK Accounting and Tax Services has pled guilty to fraud and bribery charges related to a COVID-19 grant program, State Auditor Shad White revealed.
According to auditors, Verneshia Cody, the business’s owner and operator, pled guilty to one count of fraud and one count of bribery of a public officer.
According to the auditor’s office, Cody submitted fake documentation to the Mississippi State Department of Health in order to get monies from the Mississippi COVID-19 Health Disparities Elimination Project. According to officials, Cody got grant money through false invoices, inaccurate cost claims, and counterfeit checks, then withdrew and spent the sub-grant cash for personal use.
“Thank you to the investigators who worked this case and the prosecutors who chose to bring charges,” White said in a statement. He added that his office has recovered more money in the last seven years than any other seven-year period and said his office has “zero tolerance for theft of taxpayer money.”
According to the auditor’s office, Cody was sentenced to 10 years in Mississippi Department of Corrections prison, with two years to serve day-to-day and five years of supervised probation after that.
The auditor’s office stated that suspected fraud can be reported by contacting 1-800-321-1275 during normal business hours or through the agency’s website.
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