Tuesday, November 21, 2017

PERS employee charged with embezzlement.

Attorney Generalissimo Jim Hood issued the following statement.


Combs
JACKSON—An employee with Mississippi’s state retirement system accused of pocketing $65,000 in benefits that were not hers turned herself in to authorities Tuesday, announced Attorney General Jim Hood.



Amanda Combs, 31, of Brandon, turned herself in to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, after being indicted on three counts of embezzlement by a public employee. While working in the payments processing division at the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), Combs allegedly redirected $65,000 of retiree and beneficiary payments into her own accounts.



If convicted on all three counts, Combs faces up to 60 years in prison and $15,000 in fines. A charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.



This case was investigated by Roger Wade and will be prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Jim Giddy, both of the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Unreal. You can't even login to see what your account balance Is with PERS - you have to fax them a letter requesting it and then it takes 60 days.

So easy for something like this to happen.

Anonymous said...

Somebody tell Uncle Bobby Moak so that he call tell everyone she’s a secret Republican trying to collapse PERS and then go back to crushing Diet Cokes and watching the Democratic Party collapse around him.

Anonymous said...

Maybe she thought she was embezzling Chris Epps’s bloated pension and she convinced herself she deserved the money more than a convicted felon who bilked taxpayers for years?

Anonymous said...


One more example of the nonexistence of any oversight in our government.

I'm so sick of this kind of shit.

Bet she doesn't even lose her job.

Anonymous said...

No oversight? How the hell then did she get caught?

Anonymous said...

I’m sure there are many others doing the same thing. The recent report about the DFA not being able to keep track of state owned vehicles is something to reflect on. It starts small then winds up turning to something bigger. We have waste and corruption in our state. All the while the DOR wants to stick it to everyone to make up the shortfalls in revenue while not decreasing their staff.

Diminishing Account said...

Between this and credit unions, there's no telling how much has been stolen by shifty clerks and others with access. Catching one of them is purely accidental.

Anonymous said...

7:18 - As "interesting" as PERS is, I called the other day to get my balance and estimate of benefits and spoke to a very nice lady; and I received a letter in the mail 2 days later with my balance, etc. I guess it depends on who answers the phone...

Anonymous said...

PERS acts as retirees' "bank." They have a slick website with one big thing lacking: The ability to log in to check my balance (as I can with my local bank and deferred comp accounts). This is non-customer friendly and makes one wonder why that's not possible. No wonder she got away with this for so long. How do we know from which accounts her "bonus" was drawn?

Anonymous said...

@4:58, tracking state vehicles is easy with technology but some (most) agencies are resistant to this for obvious reasons. Some state employees actually see an assigned vehicle as "their" property, an entitlement and part of their benefit package. I'd be willing to guess that personal use of government vehicles is one of the bigger, and avoidable "leaks" in the state budget. I'd also be willing to bet that some state employees who have issued vehicles don't even own a personal car and agencies aren't filing the required tax documents (See IRS Pubs. 15-B and 5137).

DFA has a policy but no provision for enforcement, and punishment for personal use of government property is selective and political at best (ask the state auditor's chief investigator about his abuse of power here). Either park ALL of the cars (except for those assigned to REAL first responders, not some made up bullshit) or quit bitching about it.

Anonymous said...

You people need to understand that your retirement 'account' is not like a bank account that goes up and down every day. If you're a member of the system, you get an annual statement which clearly gives you estimates as to projected, full retirement date, amount you could draw, balance should you die and years credited in the system. If you have such little time in the system that you want to know how much you'll draw down if you quit every month, you need to find other employment. If you can't keep up with your statement, carry your ass down to the PERS building and ask to speak with a representative.

Anonymous said...

7:45, spoken like a true life long government employee. Can you not check your investment account or 401k daily? It takes PERS 4 months just to mail out annual statements.

Anonymous said...

8:04 - A PERS 'account' does not fluctuate daily like a 401k. There's no similarity. How would you know how long it takes them to mail out statements? You get yours the same time every year - That's all that matters. Can you imagine answering queries from 40,000 people every month wanting to know their balance. Get over it.

Anonymous said...

Maybe ole Riley will see some time for stealing from the church.



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