Jackson, Miss.
Kevin Edwards, 48, of Walnut Grove, a former member of the Tribal Council for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and his wife, Sheena A. Edwards, 45, are scheduled to be sentenced May 11, federal officials stated.
The couple pled guilty last week to money laundering, officials stated.
A superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Sept. 10, 2019, charges the former lawmaker and his wife with defrauding the Tribal government, as well as misleading a federally insured bank with intent to obtain loans.
Between March 2015 and June 2017, the husband and wife forged hotel bills and receipts and to have submitted those documents to the Tribal government in claims for reimbursement for official business travel by Kevin Edwards, according to prosecutors.
Edwards is a former Member of the Tribal Council who left office in June 2017.
After receiving the unlawful payments from the tribal government, the two defendants cashed and transferred the payments to multiple bank accounts and paid off personal loans in the name of Sheena Edwards.
“As long as public corruption continues to be an issue in our state, I can promise you that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be here to root it out, prosecute it, and ensure that justice is done. I want to personally thank the agencies involved for working with us to catch those who violate our corruption laws,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca.
Kevin Edwards and Sheena Edwards each entered a plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder money, which carries a maximum penalty of twenty years imprisonment.