The Mississippi State Parole Board is defending one of its members, a Meridian resident, after a state auditor’s report said she was reimbursed more than $47,000 for travel expenses that are not meant to be reimbursable.

The Office of the State Auditor said in a report released on Thursday that Mississippi Parole Board member Betty Lou Jones was reimbursed $47,321 for travel expenses that are not reimbursable.

This finding is part of a larger report which documents widespread misspending by the Mississippi Department of Corrections from July 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2019. 

Logan Reeves, a spokesperson for the auditor’s office, said the report states that there are audit findings of illegal expenditures that made their way to Jones, but that does not mean that those expenditures are criminal.

Reeves said the difference between an illegal expenditure and a criminal expenditure is often intent, which in most cases needs to be proven in a criminal case.

“In this instance, the findings in the audit report itself are not alleging criminal intent, only that there was an illegal expenditure,” Reeves said. 

The report says there were 27 instances in which Jones was reimbursed for traveling to a work station in Jackson, which the auditor’s office said was not a reimbursable expense.

Jones was reimbursed for reservations, meals and mileage, according to the report. 

“Failure to appropriately record, monitor and approve travel for Parole Board Member BLJ resulted in $47,321 in payments that should be reimbursed to the State of Mississippi,” the Office of the State Auditor wrote. 

The report also states that Jones submitted a travel voucher 300 days after the last day of one trip. This voucher was reimbursed in fiscal year 2020. As a result, $1,099 worth of travel expenses were not properly recognized in 2019 financials, according to the state auditor’s office.

These matters have been referred to the Investigative Division of the Office of the State Auditor for possible civil demand. If a civil demand takes place, Jones would have to pay back the money owed, with interest. 

Steven Pickett, Mississippi State Parole Board chairman, said in a statement Thursday that Jones is the parole board’s senior serving member. He also said that she drives to Jackson multiple times a week and that the parole board is a full-time job.

“Let me be clear, Betty Lou Jones has not misappropriated one penny and receipts were turned in for the years this report cited,” Pickett said. “While receipts may have been delayed in being processed, no reports were rejected or questioned.”

Pickett said the parole board’s annual budget for travel is $25,000, and it pays the expenses of members who travel weekly from different parts of the state. He added that the board has previously had members from North Mississippi to the Coast.

“Days before Christmas is no time to raise questions about $47,000 without sending a single email, letter, phone call or inquiry to the accused or supervisor,” he said. “Unfortunately, in today’s endless news cycles, mentioning someone’s name in a financial scandal story gives the impression of wrong doing and corruption. There is not a corrupt bone in Betty Lou Jones and in public life all you have is your reputation.”

Jones said in a statement Friday that she has devoted her time to being a dedicated member of the Mississippi Parole Board for over 12 years and has served with distinction under three governors.

“In these twelve years I have always and continue to adhere to policies and procedures as required by MDOC,” Jones said.

She also said that MDOC is a separate entity from the parole board, but MDOC handles the accounting and payments for travel reimbursements for board members. 

“I will be able to provide additional comments in the very near future,” she said. “I am confident that I will be able to dispel any notion that I have committed any wrongdoing.”