The findings were announced by Shad White, the State Auditor, at a press conference that was held at the Coahoma Courthouse on Monday afternoon. The alleged embezzlement scheme was difficult to find because it involved multiple people, and that college books were manipulated to hide their involvement. In a statement released to Mississippi Today, Marriel Hardy, Chief Communications Officer for CCC said the institution immediately terminated those individuals involved and immediately notified its board of trustees and the appropriate agencies/authorities. “The institution will do everything in its power to recover any money that was taken from CCC. Hardy stated that the College has strengthened accountability controls to reduce the chance of such unfortunate behavior in the future. White said that between 2013 and 2017, Gwendolyn Jeff and Stacie Naal, both in the purchasing department used multiple government procurement card to buy gift cards at local Kroger, Wal-Mart and Amazon. They could “do whatever they want with them.” White stated that the couple also purchased watches, shoes and other items totaling $750,000. White said that the final tab of $981,600 was the highest individual demand from the auditor’s office over the past five years, and the third largest individual request over the last 20 years. It includes principal, interest and investigative expenses. The case files were handed to Brenda Mitchell, the Mississippi 11th Circuit Circuit Court District district attorney, on Monday. She will decide what happens to the two former employees. Mitchell’s jurisdiction covers Bolivar, Coahoma and Quitman counties. On Friday, White’s office demanded repayment from Jefferson and Neal. Mitchell, the district attorney, spoke to Mississippi Today and said that the next step for their office is to review the file, determine the appropriate charges, and present the case before a grand jury. She explained that the case, which contains over 100 documents, will not be complete by December’s grand jury meeting. White stated, “If you are out and you are running an agency of local government, or if it’s a state agency, or a business, then you need to ensure that there are multiple people in your office performing different functions within purchasing.” We do audits but most corruption in America is not detected by audits. It is caught by whistle-blowers and tips, and that’s exactly how it happened in this case.” White previously worked for Gov. Phil Byrant was named state auditor in July.