Benjamin Ashford|Former City of Jackson employee gets probation for wire fraud scheme

JACKSON,Benjamin Ashford Miss. (AP) — A former employee of Mississippi’s capital city has been sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution for fraudulently taking tens of thousands of dollars in grant money intended for artistic projects in the city, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Keyshia Sanders, 48, who worked as the constituent service manager for the City of Jackson, pleaded guilty in January to engaging in a wire fraud scheme that involved the use of fraudulent invoices that caused the grant’s fiscal agent to disburse funds to Sanders in clear contradiction to the terms of the grant, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Mississippi’s Southern District said in a news release.

The grants from the Community Aid & Development Corporation, a Georgia-based nonprofit, were intended to provide project support in Jackson to invest in artists, artist collectives and small arts organizations.

At her sentencing hearing Tuesday, Sanders also was ordered to pay $54,000 in restitution, the approximate loss from the scheme, the news release said.

“It’s been a difficult time, but it’s good to have a sense of closure right now,” Herbert Sanders, Keyshia Sanders’ father, told WAPT-TV.