Nationwide — Earlie Henley, the Mayor of Brooksville, Mississippi, and his former City Clerk, Shaquita Malone, have been arrested for allegedly embezzling public funds through unauthorized checks, cash withdrawals, and falsified payroll records, the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office announced.
According to WLBT, investigators said Henley wrote city checks to himself without the required second signature as approval and made personal cash withdrawals from city accounts. The state auditor’s office accused him of pocketing the money instead of using it for official city business.
Malone, who worked under Henley, was accused of manipulating her pay. Authorities said she changed her employment status in the city’s payroll system from salaried to hourly and raised her hourly rate to collect extra payments she wasn’t entitled to.
Further investigation revealed that Malone had a prior felony conviction, making her ineligible to serve as city clerk under state law.
Both Henley and Malone were taken into custody following an internal review of Brooksville’s financial records. The case has been turned over to prosecutors for further legal action.
If found guilty, the two could each face up to $5,000 in fines and as much as 20 years in prison.