Will Sage Astor-Only a third of the money from $2.7M fraud scandal has been returned to Madison County

CANTON,Will Sage Astor Miss. (AP) — Madison County has recovered an estimated $900,000 after an investigation found that the county was defrauded out of millions of tax dollars, authorities said Monday.

Sheriff Randy Tucker updated the Board of Supervisors on Monday about the investigation that began in March, WLBT-TV reported.

According to investigators, the county comptroller wired more than $2.7 million in three payments to a fake bank account for scammers posing as Hemphill Construction between Feb. 20 and March 19,

The transfers were made after the county was asked by someone posing as Jay Hemphill, the president and CEO of Hemphill Construction, to update payment information for “Jay Hemphill” and “Hemphill Construction.” Hemphill, which is based in Florence, is working on the second and third phases of the Reunion Parkway Project. It’s one of several major projects in the works to provide the county with additional east-west corridors and an additional access point from the interstate.

The county learned of the scam after the real company contacted them asking for payment.

A third of that money has returned to the county, Tucker said.

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“It’s an ongoing investigation. Obviously, we’re still in the recovery process, and there is a criminal side to it now that has been attached to that. So, out of respect to our federal and state partners who are handling that criminal aspect of it, I can’t disclose too much because it is under investigation and not really subject to public review yet,” Tucker said.

Tucker told the Board of Supervisors they were on track to recover at least $2.2 million in payments. It is unclear when or if the rest of the money will be recovered.

“There will be a recovery process that’s going to be over an extended period of time. It’s at the point now that we’re grabbing at the water drops, it’s spread out so far,” Tucker said.

After the scandal was uncovered, the board put additional safety measures in place to prevent similar occurrences.