A former clerk with the Rankin County Tax Collector’s Office faces jail time for not registering peoples’ car tags and taking cash payments for her personal use.
State Auditor Shad White announced that Brittney Phillips, who was arrested last November, pleaded guilty to embezzlement. She was previously served with a $36,583.47 demand letter for her misuse of public funds.
“I’m grateful for the work of the Rankin County Tax Collector for turning this case over, the investigators, and the prosecutors who worked together to bring this case to a close,” White said. “By working together with other offices, my team has recovered more money for the taxpayers in the last five years than any other five-year period.”
Phillips was prosecuted by the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office and was sentenced to 10 years in prison with six years suspended. She will serve four years behind bars and spend five years of supervised probation.
A $50,000 surety bond covered Phillips’ employment at the Rankin County Tax Collector’s Office. Surety bonds are similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption.
