Former head of Mississippi Department of Corrections under fire after audit

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – The former head of Mississippi’s Department of Corrections is under fire after a new audit shows alleged misspending.

Everything from travel reimbursements to massage chairs is being questioned.

State Auditor Shad White said former Commissioner Pelicia Hall was paid thousands of dollars in bogus travel reimbursements.

More money was allegedly used to update executive suites at MDOC facilities, which included a bedroom suite, televisions, and a vacuum.

20 massage chairs were bought for MDOC staff and inmates. Decorations, such as rugs and art, were also reportedly purchased for meditation rooms at corrections facilities.

White says the attempts to cover up the reported misspending were wide-reaching and started at the top of the agency.

“The old leadership at MDOC had been destroying documents, documents about financial transfers, and transactions that made it very difficult to determine how money was being spent. The excuse is that the destruction of those documents was accidental,” said State Auditor Shad White. “In one case, they are saying documents that should have been saved were loaded onto a burn truck. But you can tell, if that’s going it becomes very difficult to identify issues unless somebody on the inside can help you identify what’s going on and that’s what happened here.”

White says the current MDOC staff requested the audit and cooperated with his staff.

Former Commissioner Hall resigned last December.

For the full audit click here.