Auditor’s Office Arrests Former Benton County Tax Assessor

JACKSON, Miss. – State Auditor Shad White announced yesterday that Special Agents from his office have arrested Shannon Wilburn, former Benton County Tax Assessor, on one count of embezzlement in public office.

Wilburn is accused of taking more than $300,000 in daily collections paid to the Benton County Tax Collector’s office for his own personal use.

“The dedicated team at the State Auditor’s Office will continue to work closely with prosecutors to get record results, one case at a time,” said State Auditor Shad White.

Wilburn faces up to $5,000 in fines and 20 years if convicted. All persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

A $200,000 surety bond covers Wilburn’s employment as the Benton County Tax Assessor. Surety bonds are similar to insurance designed to protect taxpayers from corruption. Benton County also has an insurance policy that covers theft.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online at any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or calling 1-(800)-321-1275 during normal business hours.

Shad White began his first term as the 42nd State Auditor of Mississippi in July of 2018 and then won re-election to his first and second term in the office after establishing a tough, no-nonsense reputation. In his time as State Auditor, White’s team has stopped the largest public fraud in state history, made the largest civil recovery after an auditor’s investigation in the history of the office, and concluded cases that, collectively, led to hundreds of years of prison sentences for fraudsters. He holds a certificate in forensic accounting, is a Certified Fraud Examiner, and serves as a captain in the Mississippi National Guard.