Ex-water authority manager arrested on embezzlement charges, auditor says

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi State Auditor Shad White announced that special agents from his office arrested Deborah Harper, the former office manager of the Southeast Greene Water Authority, on allegations she embezzled funds belonging to the authority, the auditor’s office said.

The auditor’s office said Harper allegedly accepted cash payments from new-customer water agreement forms and converted the money for her own use. The office also said she used payments from other water users to satisfy water debt for herself and her daughter.

“The dedicated team at the State Auditor’s Office will continue to work closely with prosecutors to get record results, one case at a time,” Shad White said, the auditor’s office reported.

The auditor’s office said Harper faces up to $25,000 in fines and up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The office also said all persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The auditor’s office said suspected fraud can be reported online via the red button on the auditor’s website or by calling (800) 321-1275 during normal business hours.

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