Christopher B. Epps (born January 25, 1961) is a Federal inmate and a former commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) and career employee in the state criminal justice system though he started his career as a teacher. Appointed as Commissioner in 2002 and serving until 2014, he served under three governors and was the agency's longest-serving commissioner its history. Epps came up within the department as a 32-year career employee.Pettus, Emily Wagster.
Epps’ star falls in Miss. after federal indictment"
''The Washington Times'' (). ''

Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

''. November 8, 2014. Retrieved on February 27, 2015. Although MDOC had been sued in two class-action suits in the 21st century on behalf of prisoners because of poor conditions, Epps was respected for his efforts to improve conditions by reducing the use of

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

in Mississippi,Erica Goode (June 7, 2014
"Seeing Squalor and Unconcern in a Mississippi Jail"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', 7 June 2014, Retrieved 3 December 2014. reducing the prison population by supporting earlier parole for non-violent offenders and establishing halfway houses for newly released inmates. Beginning in the late 20th century, Mississippi contracted with for-profit prison companies to run several of its prisons as did many other states. Epps was the only black American who was head of a state department under Governor Bryant. Epps had been elected president of the American Correctional Association in 2010. He resigned on November 5, 2014 during the federal investigation and after resigning as commissioner of the state system. It was the day before he was indicted on federal charges of bribery and kickbacks. He had received what may have been more than $2 million in bribes from

Cecil McCrory Cecil McCrory (born December 1, 1951) is a former Mississippi state legislator, justice court judge, Rankin County school board president and businessman. His indictment was made public in November 2014 for corruption related to his dealings with p ...

, a businessman and former Mississippi Republican state house member and others, including Robert Simmons. The FBI termed the case Operation Mississippi Hustle. McCrory was most recently a consultant for

Management and Training Corporation Management & Training Corporation or MTC is a contractor that manages private prisons and United States Job Corps centers, based in Centerville, Utah. MTC's core businesses are corrections, education and training, MTC medical, and economic & soci ...

(MTC) of Utah, a major for-profit prison operating company; at the time, it had a $60 million contract in Mississippi to operate four prisons. In February 2017, Mississippi Attorney General

Jim Hood James Matthew Hood (born May 15, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 39th Attorney General of Mississippi from 2004 to 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in 2003, defeating Republican Scott Ne ...

announced he had filed civil cases for damages and punitive damages against 11 corporations and individuals who had engaged in contracts with the MDOC and Epps. He said that state law required the companies and consultants to pay back the value of their contracts.

Early life and education

Christopher Epps was born and grew up in Tchula, Mississippi, in Holmes County, which is bordered on the west by the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before th ...

and the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yaz ...

. His family was deeply involved in education and several members had PhDs.Buntin, John.
Down on Parchman Farm
(). ''

Governing Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, norms, power or language of an organized society over a social system ( family, tribe, formal or informal organization, a territory or across territories). It is done by the gove ...

''. July 27, 2010. Retrieved on February 27, 2015. Epps attended

Mississippi Valley State University Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Ex-Prison Boss and Businessman Admit to Bribery Scheme

Archive
. ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

'' at ''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...

''. February 25, 2013. Retrieved on February 27, 2015. Epps has said that, at the time of his graduation, he filled out an MDOC job application at a job fair at his university.Gates, Jimmie E. and Emily LeCoz.
Chris Epps' history with the MDOC

Archive
. ''

The Clarion-Ledger ''The Clarion Ledger'' is an American daily newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second-oldest company in the state of Mississippi, and is one of the few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide. It is an operating d ...

''. November 6, 2014. Retrieved on February 27, 2015. Epps' relatives worked in the education sector and had post-graduate degrees. He expected to have a career in education, too. He started working at a school in

Drew, Mississippi Drew is a city in Sunflower County, Mississippi. The population was 1,927 at the 2010 census. Drew is in the vicinity of several plantations and the Mississippi State Penitentiary, a Mississippi Department of Corrections prison for men. It is no ...

teaching science and mathematics. In 1982 MDOC contacted him asking if he was interested in working in prisons. Epps earned a master's degree in guidance counseling from

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia ( Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Lib ...

Career

By 1982 Epps thought the criminal justice system might provide more opportunity for career advancement than education. At first he worked both as a teacher outside and as a prison correctional officer in Unit 29 at the

Mississippi State Penitentiary Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP), also known as Parchman Farm, is a maximum-security prison farm located in unincorporated Sunflower County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta region. Occupying about of land,Sunflower County, Mississippi Sunflower County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,450. Its largest city and county seat is Indianola. Sunflower County comprises the Indianola, MS Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

. In January 1985 he began working there as a disciplinary hearings officer. Around July of that year he quit his teaching position and devoted himself to Parchman, and at that time he became a case manager there. He began to be promoted to higher positions within the corrections department. He served as Chief of Security and Corrections Case Management Supervisor. In December 1988

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ray Mabus Raymond Edwin Mabus Jr. (; born October 11, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 75th United States Secretary of the Navy from 2009 to 2017. Mabus previously served as the State Auditor ...

appointed Epps as the deputy superintendent of Mississippi State Penitentiary. He was responsible for security and running day-to-day prison operations.John Buntin, "Mississippi's Corrections Reform/How America's reddest state -- and most notorious prison -- became a model of corrections reform"
, Cover Story, ''Governing'', August 2010; accessed 6 March 2017 He also served as the MDOC's Chief of Staff, Deputy Commissioner of Institutions, Deputy Commissioner of Community Corrections, Director of Offender Services and Director of Treatment Services.MDOC Commissioner named President of the ACA
''

Mississippi Link Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mississ ...

'', May 25, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2017. In July 2002 the

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". ...

filed a class action suit against MDOC and the officials of Parchman Penitentiary, saying that conditions for inmates on Death Row in Unit 32 constituted "cruel and unusual punishment" as prohibited by the US Constitution. On August 30, 2002, Democratic Governor

Ronnie Musgrove David Ronald Musgrove (born July 29, 1956) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from January 16, 1996 to January 11, 2000 and as the 62nd Governor of Mississippi from January ...

appointed Epps as Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Republican governors

Haley Barbour Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist who served as the 63rd governor of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as chairman of the Republican ...

and

Phil Bryant Dewey Phillip Bryant (born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 64th governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he was the 31st lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2008 to 2012 and ...

reappointed Epps on January 13, 2004 and January 11, 2012, respectively.Christopher B. Epps Commissioner
(). Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on February 27, 2015. In 2006, Epps agreed to enter into a consent decree with the ACLU, working with them to reform Unit 32 particularly. He invited teams from Connecticut and reviewed the classification system, seeking to develop a better way to reward prisoners who modeled desired behavior. Controls at Unit 32 were lessened, group dining and classes were introduced. During the next four years, programs were developed whereby prisoners could earn their way out of solitary confinement through good behavior. By the fall of 2007, the prison population in solitary confinement was reduced from more than 1,000 to 150. Incidents of violence decreased dramatically. Many prisoners in the facility were held there because they had HIV or mental illness. The state worked to transfer them to other facilities."ACLU Strikes Deal To Shutter Notorious Unit 32 At Mississippi State Penitentiary"
ACLU website; accessed 7 March 2017 In 2010, Epps continued to work with the ACLU to close Unit 32, moving prisoners with severe mental illness from Unit 32 to the

East Mississippi Correctional Facility East Mississippi Correctional Facility is a men's prison located in unincorporated Lauderdale County, Mississippi, near Meridian. It is about 90 miles east of the capital, Jackson. Opened in 1999, the special needs prison is intended to provide ...

, intended to provide more intensive treatment for such prisoners. In 2008, Epps gained support from state senator

Willie Lee Simmons Willie Lee Simmons (born March 21, 1947) is an American politician and former member of the Mississippi State Senate from the 13th District, where he served from 1993 to 2020. Simmons ran for election to the Mississippi Transportation Commissio ...

for legislation to amend the state's "truth in sentencing law"; the new law, signed by the governor in 2009, made nonviolent offenders eligible for parole after serving 25 percent of their sentences. (The previous law had required all convicted felons to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence, resulting in a dramatic expansion of the number of prisoners in the state, to 22,800 by 2007.) The law was retroactive. From 2009 to 2010 the Parole Board reviewed cases to determine prisoners eligible for parole. They were aided by use of a science-based "risk instrument" to evaluate prisoners' risk of recidivism. The state released more than 3,000 felons on parole who had been convicted of non-violent crimes. None has committed the type of high-profile crimes that has damaged such efforts in other states. This policy also saved the state money. Epps was respected for his efforts to reduce the use of solitary confinement in prisons throughout the state. By 2014, Epps was making a $132,700-a-year salary. He was the only African American heading a state department in Governor Bryant's administration. Serving in the

Mississippi National Guard The Mississippi National Guard (MSNG), commonly known as the Mississippi Guard, is both a Mississippi state and a federal government organization, part of the United States National Guard. It is part of the Mississippi Military Department, a stat ...

since 1984, Epps was promoted to a rank of lieutenant colonel before his March 2008 retirement. Epps worked as an auditor for the

American Correctional Association The American Correctional Association (ACA; called the National Prison Association before 1954) is a private, non-profit, non-governmental trade association and accrediting body for the corrections industry, the oldest and largest such associati ...

(ACA). In May 2010 he was elected as the association's president, with a term through February 2015. He was also elected as president of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA), taking office in August 2014. On November 5, 2014 Epps resigned from his ACA position, the day before his indictment was announced.

Personal life

Epps's wife is Catherlean Sanders and they have two sons. Prior to 2015, Epps's primary residence was in

Flowood, Mississippi Flowood is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 10,202 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. History In 1950, a delegation from Flowood petitioned Governor Fielding ...

in the Jackson metropolitan area. He served as a deacon of Hanging Moss Road Church of Christ in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

. At one time he owned a condominium in

Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

, but later replaced it with a condominium in

Pass Christian, Mississippi Pass Christian (), nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport– Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,307 at the 2019 census. History Pre-European history ...

.Estwick, Tammy.
Epps pleads not guilty to federal bribery charges
(). ''

WAPT WAPT (channel 16) is a television station in Jackson, Mississippi, United States, affiliated with ABC. The station is owned by Hearst Television, and maintains studios and transmitter facilities on Channel 16 Way (off MS 18) in southwest Jacks ...

''. November 7, 2014. Retrieved on February 28, 2015. In April 2015, Epps' wife hired a Seattle forfeiture attorney to represent her in regard to the case involving their Flowood residence. On March 2, 2016, the court allowed her to keep $200,000 of their forfeited assets.

Legal issues

On November 6, 2014, the office of the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the

Southern District of Mississippi The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (in case citations, S.D. Miss.) is a federal court in the Fifth Circuit with facilities in Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Natchez, and Jackson. Appeals from cases brought in t ...

announced that it had indicted Epps on corruption charges; these charges were related to his dealings with the for-profit prison industry. The federal indictment stated that Cecil McCrory, a Republican former state House member from 1988 to 1994 and a businessman who served as the chairperson of the

Rankin County School District The Rankin County School District is the 3rd largest public school district in Mississippi. The district office is located in Brandon, Mississippi ( USA). In addition to Brandon, the district serves most of Rankin County, including the commu ...

's Board of Education, paid Epps kickbacks and bribes totaling more than $1 million. His payments included payment of part of the mortgage of Epps' primary residence in the Jackson area. Epps leveraged the resulting increased equity together with another bribe payment to buy a condominium; he later traded up the latter for a larger, more expensive condo. In exchange, Epps directed contracts to McCrory-owned companies, such as a no-bid contract to his G.T. Enterprises, which provided commissary services, as well as to companies that hired McCrory as a paid consultant. Per the indictment, the activity started in 2007 and ended on March 12, 2014. Epps entered an initial plea of not guilty, and he received a bond of $25,000. According to Leake County Sheriff Greg Waggoner, the investigation was initiated after an attempt by MDOC to cover up a sexual assault of an inmate of a halfway facility in

Walnut Grove, Mississippi Walnut Grove is a town in Leake County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 510 at the 2020 census, a sharp decrease from 1,911 at the 2010 census, due to the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility being closed by the state in Septem ...

. The FBI launched an investigation which eventually focused on Epps, naming it "Mississippi Hustle". In November 2014 Governor

ordered rebids of the contracts that had been awarded by Epps. To review existing contracts, he appointed a five-member task force, which included Mike Moore, a Democrat. Moore was Mississippi's Attorney General from 1988 to 2004. During the mid-1990s, he served on a board that oversaw prison construction projects authorized after the state was sued because of overcrowding and substandard conditions. Mississippi also was beginning to use for-profit contractors to operate some prisons, some of which were privately owned by such contractors.Prison-contract task force working in wake of Epps' indictment
''

Mississippi Business Journal ''The Mississippi Business Journal'' is a statewide weekly business newspaper, located in Jackson, Mississippi. Each issue contains news coverage relating to the Mississippi business world along with regular opinion and freelance columns. Issues ...

'', November 23, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2017. Bryant had received a $1,000 campaign contribution from McCrory. After learning of the indictments, he donated this money to the Salvation Army. In February 2015 Epps pleaded guilty to corruption-related charges in a plea bargain: one count of filing a false tax return and one count of conspiracy to launder money.Former commissioner Of Mississippi Department of Corrections and local businessman plead guilty in federal court
().

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...

. Retrieved on February 27, 2015
Version at the website of
the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

. As part of the plea, he forfeited two

Mercedes Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

vehicles and his two residences. In an allocution, he told the presiding Federal judge,

Henry Travillion Wingate Henry Travillion Wingate (born January 6, 1947) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. Early life and education Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Wingate received a Bachelor of ...

, "I'm sorry for what I've done." "I've repented before God. I apologize to my family and the state of Mississippi." Epps said he began taking gratuities from McCrory in 1997, before he became commissioner and while McCrory was still a state legislator.Mitchell, Jerry and Jimmie E. Gates.
Chris Epps, Cecil McCrory plead guilty to corruption

Archive
. ''The Clarion-Ledger''. February 25, 2015. Retrieved on February 27, 2015. As of February 2015, Epps was still eligible to receive benefits from the Mississippi Public Employees’ Retirement System. McCrory plea-bargained to lesser federal charges. He had long worked as a consultant to prison contractors: first to

Cornell Companies Cornell Companies (NYSE:CRN) was an American corporation that operated correctional facilities, contracting them to state and local governments. The company's headquarters were located in Houston, Texas. On August 12, 2010, Cornell was acquired b ...

of Houston, Texas, which built and operated the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility in Mississippi, and the

GEO Group The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) is a publicly traded C corporation that invests in private prisons and mental health facilities in North America, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, the company's ...

(which acquired Cornell). Last McCrory advised GEO's successor, Utah's

. In 2015 MTC held a $60 million contract to operate four Mississippi prisons, including Wilkinson County Correctional Facility, which had previously been operated by the Corrections Corporation of America, now known as

CoreCivic CoreCivic, formerly the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), is a company that owns and manages private prisons and detention centers and operates others on a concession basis. Co-founded in 1983 in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas W. Beasl ...

. Upon the disclosure of the indictments, MTC fired McCrory, claiming they knew nothing of his criminal activities. According to the indictments, MTC confirmed that it paid McCrory $12,000 a month and had hired him at Epps’ recommendation. The company said that Epps had not forced it to hire McCrory. MTC spokesman Issa Arnita said that Epps “made us aware of the fee McCrory had charged in the past to other contractors” and that McCrory had worked for GEO Group, the Boca Raton, Florida, for-profit prison firm, which had previously held the contracts in Mississippi that MTC was awarded. "MTC was not aware of any alleged inappropriate relationships between Mr. Epps and Mr. McCrory or that Mr. Epps was allegedly a participant in any way in the contract with McCrory." The indictment recounted a 2012 conversation between Epps and McCrory, quoting Epps as telling McCrory that he had persuaded MTC to hire him, and they were to split MTC's payments after taxes. According to the indictment, Epps said, “I got us $12,000 per month.”Firm fires McCrory in wake of Epps' bribery indictment
''

'', November 11, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2017. Epps and McCrory blamed each other for beginning the bribery scheme. Their sentencing was first scheduled for June 9, 2015, but a day earlier, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi said the sentencing was indefinitely delayed, as prosecutors were pursuing additional indictments. The federal government indicted many others of those who allegedly bribed Epps, such as Mark Longoria, CEO of Drug Testing Corporation of Houston, Texas, who pleaded guilty in August 2016. He was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $368,000 and ordered to forfeit $131,000 on February 14, 2017. He is being held at Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City, Arkansas, with an anticipated release date of September 13, 2021. Also charged were consultant Robert A. Simmons, and Teresa Malone, the wife of the former Mississippi House Corrections Committee chairman, Democrat Bennett Malone. In August 2016, the indictment of Guy E. "Butch" Evans was announced. In 2012 Evans had been awarded a contract as the insurance broker of record for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He was given exclusive access to MDOC employees to sell policies and products. He received commissions from insurance companies and kicked back $1,400 to $1,700 per month to Epps for 16 months, starting in January 2013. The Evans arrangement ended with the Epps indictment. Wingate initially rescheduled the trial until April 3, 2017, for Evans.Epps prison scandal defendant trials pushed back
''

Mississippi Today Mississippi Today is a nonprofit news organization based in Ridgeland, Mississippi. It was founded in 2016 by former NBC chairman Andrew Lack. It is focused on watchdog journalism related to Mississippi's state and local government, economy, en ...

'', Patsy R. Brumfield, September 2, 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016. On March 31, 2018, it was announced that Evans would waive indictment and plead guilty to a lesser offense, one that had not yet been charged. On January 9, 2017, Teresa Malone's trial was delayed, as she had suffered complications from a double lung transplant. On July 17, Malone changed her plea to guilty of the charges that involved her furnishing bribes, in amounts of $1000 to $1,750 to Epps through McCrory, in return for the continuance of the medical services vendor monitoring and Medicaid eligibility contracting which the state had with AdminPros, LLC. She was scheduled to be sentenced in September 2017.Malone to change plea to guilty in Epps Corrections Corruption case
, '' MSNewsNow'', Howard Ballou, July 17th 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017. On January 9, 2018, the day before she was to be sentenced, Judge Wingate indefinitely delayed her sentencing due to her new hospitalization for additional transplant complications. On May 25, 2019, Malone was sentenced by Wingate to 41 months in prison and a $250,000 fine. She is being held at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell, Texas, near Dallas, she was released from federal custody on January 11, 2022. In April 2016, McCrory informed the court that he wanted to withdraw his plea bargain and change his plea to "not guilty", requesting a trial. As a consequence, the judge postponed Epps' sentencing to July 18, 2016. The sentencing of Epps and Brandon businessman McCrory scheduled for July 19, 2016, was delayed by Judge Wingate to give their defense lawyers additional time to review materials concerning how much money was gained by the 15 corporations paying bribes to the pair. Prosecutors hoped to use the evidence to increase the recommended prison sentences for Epps and McCrory. Epps faced a possible 23 years after his 2015 guilty plea to money laundering and filing false tax returns related to $1.47 million in bribes. Numerous companies have denied knowing their consultants were making kickbacks to Epps and others. GEO's Finance Director John Tyrell testified that, "We often have consultants..." GEO had been paying McCrory $5,000 monthly, which retired president and Chief Operating Officer Wayne Calabrese subsequently doubled to $10,000. Two suits had been filed against the company based on conditions prevailing at the prison.In Epps case, still unclear who else is implicated
''

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal The ''Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal'' is the largest daily newspaper in northeast Mississippi. It was first published in 1872. It is based in Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo () is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, Unit ...

'', Jeff Amy (AP), June 13, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca, eleven more people could face criminal charges in the Epps bribery cases. Ten could face federal indictments; another could face state charges, which were expected to be filed by mid-July 2017. LaMarca estimated that the corruption's net benefit to contractors exceeded $65 million. Investigators have determined that Epps demanded bribes to exercise his influence, not only at the state level, but also among county supervisors. By controlling the placement of state inmates in county facilities, Epps had influence over local jails. In poor rural areas, these were often considered a source of employment by local residents. Cecil McCrory originally pleaded guilty to a single count of money laundering conspiracy and faced up to 20 years in prison. He agreed to forfeit $1.7 million in assets. Based on the prosecutors' $65 million estimate, federal sentencing guidelines would recommend a maximum of 23 years in prison for Epps. However, his lawyer asked the judge to sentence Epps based only on the value of the bribes he collected. If the lower amount of $1.47 million is used, Epps faced a recommended sentence between 14 and 17 1/2 years, giving Judge Wingate latitude. Because of his cooperation in providing information about those paying the bribes, prosecutors agreed to recommend that Epps get a shorter sentence. Quantifying assumed benefits to 16 contractors necessitated examining their accounts. On June 30, 2016, John Colette, Epps' defense attorney, said he received more than 1,500 pages of documents in the previous week and would require at least 30 days to review them. Four companies are asking Wingate to shield their information from public view: Four more had delayed responded to subpoenas. Wingate said he would hold a hearing by July 16, 2016, to consider requests for protective orders, and to consider contempt orders be lodged against companies which have failed to respond to disclosure requests. Judge Wingate reset Epps' sentencing for May 24–25, 2017. Although Epps' sentencing was delayed, Wingate had set sentencing for his co-defendant, McCrory, for Dec. 21–22. On December 21, 2016, Judge Wingate rejected McCrory's request to withdraw his plea, ruling it had been made with sufficient advice of counsel, and setting a new date for sentencing. It was revealed via testimony from the FBI that McCrory admitted to laundering $40,000 in cash for Epps in their first interview with him, and that he began wearing a recording device for his conversations with Epps. McCrory remained free on bail with sentencing proceedings held on February 2–3, 2017. Issues centered on how much consideration he should receive for his cooperation, including his recording of conversations with other participants in the schemes.Judge rejects try to withdraw plea in prison bribery case
, ''

Sun Herald The ''Sun Herald'' is a U.S. newspaper based in Biloxi, Mississippi, that serves readers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The paper's current executive editor and general manager is Blake Kaplan and its headquarters is in the city of Gulfpo ...

'', Jeff Amy (AP), December 21, 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2016. After he was sentenced to 8 1/2 years, on February 3, McCrory continued free on bail, with the judge indicating that time could be reduced after the other defendants in the case are sentenced. McCrory's sentencing was postponed numerous times, with his attorney disputing the fine Judge Wingate intended to impose. GEO had been paying McCrory $5,000 monthly, which President and Chief Operating Officer Wayne Calabrese, who retired in 2011, subsequently doubled. GEO's Finance Director Tyrrell did not give a definitive answer to the question regarding why the amount had increased. He speculated, however, that it might have been because on August 10, 2010, GEO Group bought out

operations. Cornell operated the troubled Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility, where it had been accused in a lawsuit of prisoner mistreatment. Its settlement included conversion of the prison to adults-only."In Epps case, still unclear who else is implicated"
''

'', Jeff Amy (AP), June 13, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016. McCrory remained free on bail, with sentencing proceedings postponed three times in 2017. Disputed issues concerned how much consideration he should receive for his cooperation, including his recording of conversations with other scheme participants. His imprisonment was delayed after his attorney requested that the amount of his initial prospective $150,000 fine be reduced. Wingate had already dropped it to $20,000. It was necessary for McCrory to liquidate assets to be able to pay the million-plus forfeiture sum. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood subpoenaed McCrory who provided a deposition in the civil cases Hood brought against corrupt companies and bureaucrats who obtained contracts while Epps' was MDOC Commissioner. This included the largest, Florida's GEO Group. The prosecutors expect a final judgment to include setting a new date for McCrory to report to prison. On November 1, 2016, while out on bail and still awaiting sentencing, Epps was arrested by the Flowood, Mississippi Police Department. He was charged with breaking into his former primary residence which he had previously turned over to the federal government as part of his plea agreement. He had removed light fixtures and other items. They were recovered at his nearby second home. Appearing in court on November 3, Epps said he had made a "terrible mistake," and only wanted to retrieve some outside floodlights for Halloween. The court was to consider if the possible revocation of his bond was warranted. On November 15, 2016, Epps petitioned the court that he be allowed release to home confinement. Epps remained in jail after his November arrest on burglary charges. On December 23, Judge Wingate denied his request to be released on house arrest, saying he would be held in jail until his May 2017 sentencing. Although pre-trial federal inmates residing in the central portion of the state of Mississippi are normally held in the Madison County Jail, Epps, for his protection, was instead held in solitary confinement in a correctional facility in Mason, Tennessee; Epps protested his solitary confinement status. He was transferred to the Madison County Jail before, on May 25, 2017, when Judge Wingate gave him a federal prison sentence of 235 months (19.6 years). Wingate, who was appointed to the federal bench in 1985 said, "This is the largest graft operation that certainly I have seen, and I have seen a lot." Wingate cited the Flowood incident as the reason why he gave a sentence that was longer than the one recommended by prosecutors, 13 years. By July 2017 Epps was moved to the

Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville The Federal Correctional Institution, Seagoville (FCI Seagoville) is a low-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Seagoville, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a ...

in Texas, near Dallas. His Bureau of Prisons register number is 10095-042. He is due to be released on November 25, 2033.Inmate Locator
''

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...

''. Retrieved October 13, 2018.

Additional indictments

On July 20, 2016, in a seven-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury, Dr. Carl Reddix, an ob/gyn and owner of Heath Assurance LLC, was charged with paying bribes and kickbacks to Epps in return for contract awards with the MDOC and for-profit prison operators. The attorney for Reddix said Epps demanded bribe payments, an assertion also previously made by defendants McCrory, Benjamin and Sam Waggoner. The medical contracts for four for-profit Mississippi prisons held by

Wexford Health Sources Wexford Health Sources, Inc. is a healthcare services company headquartered in Foster Plaza Two in Green Tree, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.Twedt, Steve.Wexford Health works with inmates" ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. Sunday April 12, 2009. Retrieve ...

were sequentially taken from Wexford and subsequently awarded to Reddix. In 2008, his company received a contract to "provide inmate health care services" at the

Walnut Grove Correctional Facility The Walnut Grove Correctional Facility, formerly the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility (WGYCF), was operated as a for-profit state-owned prison in Walnut Grove, Mississippi from 1996 to 2016. Constructed beginning in 1990, it was expand ...

; it was renewed in 2011. Transfers of contracts for

and

Marshall County Correctional Facility Marshall County Correctional Center (MCCF) is a for-profit prison in Holly Springs, Marshall County, Mississippi, managed by Management and Training Corporation (MTC) on behalf of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.Wilkinson County Correctional Facility Wilkinson County Correctional Center (WCCC) is a private prison in unincorporated Wilkinson County, Mississippi, managed since July 2013 by Management and Training Corporation (MTC) on a five-year contract with the Mississippi Department of Corre ...

. Judge Wingate recused himself from trying the Reddix case, which was reassigned to Judge Daniel Jordan. In a plea bargain, on May 3, 2017, Reddix, who was accused of paying over $170,000 in bribes, pleaded guilty to a single count of bribery, but his sentencing was postponed until September, with the defense challenging the prosecutors request for payment of $1.27 million in restitution. Reddix was sentenced by Chief Judge Daniel Jordan to six years in prison, plus two years of supervised release. He was fined $15,000 and required to forfeit more than $1.2 million. U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst said that Reddix had personally made 36 bribe payments to Epps over a three-year period. He reported to prison on January 29, 2018 and is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution, Butner 1 Medium custody, in North Carolina. On January 19, 2017, businessman Sam Waggoner was sentenced to five years in federal prison with two years of supervised release and a $200,000 fine. Waggoner received 5 percent of the revenue as a consultant for Global Tel-Link, which provided phone services at Mississippi state prisons. He told the FBI that before their investigation started, he wrote Epps saying he wanted to end the payments. Epps ripped the letter into "teeny, tiny pieces," flushing it down a toilet, and telling him their arrangement would continue. Waggoner said: "He was basically my boss." Waggoner paid bribes to The bribes were paid from 2012 until at least Aug. 26, 2014.Contractor gets 5 years in Mississippi prison bribery scheme
''

'' (AP), January 19, 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017. Waggoner is being held at the

Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth The Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth is an administrative-security United States federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, for male inmates of all security levels with special medical and mental health needs. It is operated by the Federal Burea ...

. His anticipated release date is July 15, 2021. Epps personally received at least $1.47 million in bribes for steering what Assistant US Attorney LaMarca estimated was $800 million in contracts between 2006 and 2014. Judge Wingate will hear the cases of the others who were charged with bribing Epps. Irb Benjamin represented Alcorn County as a Democrat in the state House from 1976–80 and the state Senate 1984-92. He later worked for Republican Lieutenant Governor Eddie Briggs, later a gubernatorial nominee. Alcorn County paid Benjamin, president and lobbyist for Mississippi Correctional Management (MCM), $114,000 a year for services to it, although he lived more than 200 miles away. The attorney for the Alcorn County Board of Supervisors said the supervisors were not required to seek bids before giving Benjamin the contract as warden, because it was a contract for services and was thus exempt from bid laws. Benjamin got $5,000 a month to handle accreditation by the American Correctional Association for the Alcorn's Regional Correctional Facility and another $4,500 a month as warden of the jail. He formed MCM in 1996, when the state Department of Corrections and counties started hiring private contractors to operate prisons and smaller regional jails. It operated the Grenada County jail for several years. Benjamin said the company also has jail accreditation contracts worth $4,000 or $5,000 a month with other counties, including Hancock, Holmes, Marion, Pearl River, Washington and Yazoo. In the past, he also worked as a $3,000-a-month jail consultant for DeSoto County. On June 8, 2008, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors supervisors had approved his contract, noting: “Mr. Benjamin was recommended by Commissioner Epps at the state level.” Benjamin said that he was not aware that Epps had recommended him.Ex-lawmaker Irb Benjamin gets six years in bribery scandal
''The Clarion-Ledger'', Jeff Amy (AP), March 3, 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017. Benjamin pleaded guilty to federal charges on October 18, 2016. He faced 10 years in prison, plus a fine of up to a quarter-million dollars. Judge Wingate sentenced him to 70 months in prison, fined him $100,000 and ordered him to forfeit $260,782. Benjamin, who said he was "pressured" by Epps, estimated that he paid the commissioner between $180,000 and $225,000 in cash bribes to secure support for the regional jails. His plea also covered bribes paid for drug and alcohol rehab programs which his company ran under contract to the state. LaMarca told Wingate, "it's just a matter of time" until others whom Benjamin informed upon were indicted. Benjamin is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution, Forrest City, Arkansas, with an anticipated release date of June 13, 2022. In April 2017, consultant Michael Goddard pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI regarding a bribe he received from Health Assurance in connection with a jail health care contract for Jefferson County, Alabama. Goddard was scheduled to be sentenced August 2, 2017, and faced up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution, Butner Low custody, North Carolina, with a scheduled release date of November 1, 2023.Inmate Locator
''

''. Retrieved September 8, 2018. His scheduled release date is November 1, 2023. On May 24, 2017, LaMarca indicated that more investigations remained open, in Mississippi and Louisiana. An additional indictment had been obtained but remained sealed.Former Mississippi Prison Chief Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years
'' U.S. News & World Report'', Jeff Amy (AP), May 24, 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017. At the time of the sentencing of Epps, LaMarca and John Colette, attorney for Epps, said his cooperation could lead to charges against six or seven others, including conspirators from outside Mississippi. In October 2018, four Louisiana businessmen: Michael LeBlanc Sr. and his son, Michael Jr.; Tawasky L. Ventroy, and Jacque B. Jackson, were indicted and arrested on charges of conspiracy, paying bribes, and attempting to pay bribes to Epps and

Kemper County, Mississippi Kemper County is a county located on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,456. Its county seat is De Kalb. The county is named in honor of Reuben Kemper. The county is pa ...

, Sheriff James Moore, who received $2,000 in casino chips from LeBlanc, Jr., in Biloxi.4 Louisiana Men Plead Guilty in Mississippi Bribe Scheme
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', Jeff Amy (AP), October 3, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2019. LeBlanc, Sr. had previously designed five county jails. He bribed Epps to guarantee keeping enough state prisoners in two Mississippi jails located in Alcorn and Chickasaw counties to assure that the two would remain profitable. Irb Benjamin was involved in those corrupt arrangements. In the month before the Epps and McCrory indictments became public in 2014, LeBlanc Sr. called Epps to confirm Ventroy would meet with Epps. Ventroy brought $2,000 in cash to Epps. The four agreed to give something with a value of $5,000 or more with the intent to have Epps help with the awarding and retaining of the contracts for LeBlanc Sr.'s company for inmate commissary services and telephone services with the Kemper County Regional Correctional Facility and elsewhere. Jackson allegedly worked for LeBlanc Jr. to help secure the contracts. After the initial Epps' indictment, bribes were also made to Moore, who was covertly cooperating with the FBI investigation. U.S. Attorney Michael Hurst of the Southern District of Mississippi thanked Moore for "coming forward and working with us to catch those who violate our corruption laws." On August 18, 2019, all four defendants agreed to plead guilty to certain charges, though the specifics were not released to the public.4 Louisiana men to plead guilty in Mississippi bribe scheme
''

'', Jeff Amy, August 18, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019. LeBlanc, Sr., was the owner of LCS Correctional Services. He sold five jails to GEO Group for $305 million, with $298 million going to pay debts owed for the construction of those prisons. Although they had not been prosecuted for it, LeBlanc, Sr. and his brother Patrick, who died in a plane crash, were involved in bribing a

Bexar County, Texas Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio– New B ...

sheriff and the sheriff's campaign manager, to obtain the contracts for phone and commissary services. After taking their guilty pleas, Judge Wingate set February 10, 2020, for sentencing hearings for all four men.

Consequences to Epps

Before Judge Wingate pronounced his sentence in July 2017, Epps explained he had considerable time to reflect upon what he'd done, asking forgiveness of the many he had harmed. He said, "It comes back to greed. I made some stupid mistakes I will regret for the rest of my life.” Judge Wingate characterized Epps's conduct as, “staggering." He continued, “Mississippi is still in shock. It was an act of betrayal. He has bruised the image of Mississippi and given joy to many of the inmates he’s overseen who can now say the head of the state prison system was just as corrupt as any of them.” He sentenced Epps to 19 years in federal prison. The state burglary charges concerning his former home were resolved on February 20, 2018, when Epps pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years, the state sentence to run concurrently with his federal prison sentence. Epps forfeited both his investment and bank accounts, his $310,000 Flowood residence, plus a $237,601 condo on the Gulf Coast and two Mercedes-Benz cars to resolve a $1,300,000 judgment against him. In May 2019, Epps and his wife lost an appeal for non-payment of $69,489 in state taxes for the years 2007 through 2014, assessed on the proceeds of the bribery schemes.

State civil suits

On February 8, 2017, Mississippi Attorney General

announced he had filed civil cases against 15 corporations and individuals who had engaged in contracts with the MDOC and Epps, seeking damages and punitive damages. He stated,

“The state of Mississippi has been defrauded through a pattern of bribery, kickbacks, misrepresentations, fraud, concealment, money laundering and other wrongful conduct.” He continued, “These individuals and corporations that benefited by stealing from taxpayers must not only pay the state's losses, but state law requires that they must also forfeit and return the entire amount of the contracts paid by the state. We are also seeking punitive damages to punish these conspirators and to deter those who might consider giving or receiving kickbacks in the future."

Besides Teresa Malone and Carl Reddix, the defendants included Michael Reddix (who had not been charged by the US Attorney); Andrew Jenkins; Management & Training Corporation; The GEO Group, Inc.;

, Inc.;

, Inc.; The Bantry Group Corporation; AdminPros, L.L.C.; CGL Facility Management, LLC; Mississippi Correctional Management, Inc.; Drug Testing Corporation; Global Tel*Link Corporation; Health Assurance, LLC; Keefe Commissary Network, LLC of St. Louis;

Sentinel Offender Services Sentinel Offender Services is a criminal justice services and original equipment manufacturing company based in Anaheim, California. The company was founded in 1993 by Robert Contestabile, who is currently the Chairman. Tom Flies is Chief Execut ...

, L.L.C.; AJA Management & Technical Services, Inc., and the Branan Medical Corporation;Mississippi AG files lawsuits in Epps bribery case
''The Clarion-Ledger'', Jimmie E. Gates, February 8, 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017. On May 18, 2017, Hood announced that the state had quickly settled the first suit for two million dollars. The defendant was Alere Incorporated, which had purchased the Branan Medical Corporation. Ten lawsuits in bribery schemes remained pending. Those have accused at least 10 individuals and 11 out-of-state corporations of using so-called “consultants” to gain more than $800 million in Mississippi prison contracts. On January 24, 2019, Hood announced his actions had recovered $27 million from those vendors against which he had filed suits. Management and Training Corporation paid $5.2 million. GEO Group paid $4.6 million, with the named defendant being Cornell Companies, which had been merged with GEO in 2010. Wexford Health Sources paid $4 million. Keefe Commissary Network paid $3.1 million. $3.1 million was paid by C.N.W. Construction Company. $750,000 was paid by CGL Facility Management, which provides maintenance services. $32,188 was received from AdminPros LLC, a Medicaid billing service. Insurance agent Guy E. “Butch” Evans paid $100,000. Health Assurance LLC, went bankrupt so did not pay the state.$27 million recovered from contractors in Epps prison bribery case, AG says
''The Clarion-Ledger'', Emily Wagster Pettus, January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019. On May 19, 2020, the Mississippi appeals court ruled against Epps and his wife Catherjean who had litigated against paying their tax liabilities for the years 2007-2014, that had been assessed on those ill-gotten gains emanating from the later discovery of the bribery schemes.ex-MDOC Commissioner Chris Epps, wife must pay $69,489 in state taxes
''The Clarion-Ledger'', Jimmie E. Gates, May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.

References

External links

*
Christopher B. Epps Commissioner

Archive
. Mississippi Department of Corrections. *
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. CHRISTOPHER B. EPPS and CECIL MCCRORY
- Indictment * () * {{DEFAULTSORT:Epps, Chris Living people American prison officers People from Tchula, Mississippi Private prisons in the United States Criminals from Mississippi Federal Bureau of Investigation informants Corruption in the United States

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

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