Wife of Former Representative Pleads guilty to Paying Kickbacks to Former Corrections Commissioner

Jackson, Miss – Teresa Malone, 56, of Carthage, Mississippi, entered a plea of guilty to paying kickbacks to former Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner (MDOC) Christopher B. Epps in exchange for receiving a consulting agreement involving the MDOC and its operations, announced Acting United States Attorney Harold Brittain and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze.

During her guilty plea, Malone admitted to receiving $225,000.00 from a consulting agreement with an out of state contractor arranged by former MDOC Commissioner Chris Epps. Malone received $5,000.00 a month out of which she paid Epps varying amounts of $1,000.00 to $1,750.00 per month. The scheme lasted from October of 2010 through July of 2014.

Malone will be sentenced on January 10, 2018, by United States District Judge Henry T. Wingate. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000.00 fine.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Criminal Chief Darren LaMarca, Assistant United States Attorney Patrick A. Lemon, and financial analyst Kim Mitchell.