Former M.D.M.R. Boat Captain Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

District Attorney Joel Smith announced Thursday that former Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (M.D.M.R.) Department Head for the Rigs to Reef Division, Kerwin Cuevas, pled guilty to one county of embezzlement and was sentenced by Judge Roger T. Clark in Harrison County Circuit Court.

During Thursday’s guilty plea, Cuevas confessed that on a personal weekend trip to Orange Beach, Alabama on May 4th, 2012, he converted to his own use a Mississippi State Procurement credit card by buying approximately $1,367.75 worth of fuel. Cuevas stated that he was working offshore in Mississippi waters on a M.D.M.R.-leased boat conducting fishing samples on May 4th, 2012, when he drove the boat over to meet his family for the weekend in Orange Beach. Cuevas stated that he drove to a marina in Orange Beach to meet his wife for the weekend and filled the boat up with gas, utilizing state funds. Cuevas admitted that the trip was for personal use and was not connected to his work with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.

After the judge accepted the plea, the State of Mississippi recommended six years of incarceration suspended for three years on probation. As part of the plea, Cuevas was required to pay restitution in the amount of $1,367.75. After hearing argument on behalf of the defendant, Judge Clark sentenced Cuevas, who had no previous criminal history, to three years of non-adjudicated probation, as well as the requested fines, fees, and restitution. During the sentencing portion of the proceeding, it was acknowledged that Cuevas cooperated with the State Auditor’s Office investigation and provided valuable information the lead to the successful prosecution of other employees with the M.D.M.R.