Over the weekend, three men were taken into custody in Hattiesburg and charged with conspiring to commit murder. Today, WDAM reported that Thomas Duff of Columbia was the mark of the alleged plot. Duff is an Institutes of Higher Learning Commissioner since May 2015. He also owns a capital-investment company that runs several businesses. Duff was not able to be reached at his home or businesses. An unidentified family spokesman said that Duff was not able to be reached at his home or business. This is a disturbing situation. However, we are grateful for the outstanding work of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation as well as other law enforcement agencies that prevented any harm being done to Trustee Duff.”