Former Philadelphia, Okolona clerks face embezzlement charges in separate cases

Published 2:15 pm Friday, August 30, 2019

Two former municipal clerks face embezzlement charges in separate cases, state officials announced Friday.

State Auditor Shad White said in a news release that agents from his office arrested former city of Philadelphia Court Clerk Karen Refre and former City Clerk of Okolona Rebecca Moore after both were indicted for embezzlement in different cases.

A demand letter for $25,746 was issued to Refre at the time of her surrender, and a demand worth $17,295 was delivered to Moore before she was taken to prison, White stated. Each amount includes investigative costs and accrued interest.

Refre allegedly embezzled funds from the Philadelphia Municipal Court by taking cash collected by her office and purportedly manipulated accounting software records by altering cash and check receipts to hide the embezzlement. Investigators determined Refre’s scheme lasted at least two years.

When city officials noticed financial inconsistencies, they contacted the state auditor’s office.

Refre surrendered to special agents at the Neshoba County Law Enforcement Center. Her bail was set at $25,000 and was not immediately posted.

According to White, Moore is accused of using her position to illegally pay herself for more than 400 hours of vacation time between 2016 and 2017. The alleged embezzlement was discovered when auditors from the CPA firm conducting the city’s annual audit noticed excessive payments made to Moore.

Investigators determined nearly $8,000 was lost by the city as a result of the scheme.

Agents took Moore to the Chickasaw County Regional Correctional Facility upon arrest, and she was released after posting $10,000 bail.

Both women will face up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines if convicted. 

Refre’s prosecution will be handled by the office of District Attorney for the 8th District Stephen S. Kilgore. District Attorney Benjamin Creekmore’s office in the 3rd Judicial District will prosecute Moore.

A $50,000 surety bond covered the employment of each suspect. A surety bond is similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from embezzlement and corruption. Refre and Moore remain fully liable for the money missing from their respective communities in addition to criminal proceedings, the news release said. 

“These cases show how private CPA firms and observant city officials can work together with investigators in the state auditor’s office to make sure taxpayer money isn’t stolen,” said White said in the release. “Ms. Moore and Ms. Refre used their positions to benefit themselves, and taxpayers deserve better. I look forward to seeing justice done in each case.”