State auditor details fraud charges against Nichols principal, two others

The Nichols Elementary principal arrested Wednesday is one of three former Coffeeville School District employees facing fraud charges in the case of that district.

State Auditor Shad White announced today that former Coffeeville School District Superintendent Vivian Robinson, Tammy Briggs and Melissa Nance were arrested on charges of fraudulent statements/representations, conspiracy, and obtaining an object of value with intent to defraud.

Briggs, 60, also was arrested in Harrison County on Wednesday. She and Nance, 56, were released today.

The women are accused of creating a fraudulent business for educational consulting. Robinson authorized payments to the business while minimal services were performed in order to appear as a legitimate company. The three are accused of working together to draw nearly $45,000 from the Coffeeville School District.

The alleged fraud was discovered during an audit conducted by the State Auditor’s Compliance Audit Division.

“For the second time in a month, we’ve identified money that should have benefitted public school students that was misspent,” Auditor Shad White said. “We will work with prosecutors in this case to protect the interests of those students and the taxpayers.”

The Gulfport Police Department, Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department assisted helping arrest the suspects.

The defendants also were served with demand letters showing they owe $84,171.06 back to taxpayers. The amount includes interest and investigative expenses.

A $100,000 surety bond covers the employment of Robinson as the Superintendent of Coffeeville School District. No surety bond covers Nance or Briggs. Surety bonds are similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers in the event that public money is misspent. All three will remain liable for the full amounts of their demands in addition to individual criminal charges.