Nonprofit head pleads guilty in Mississippi welfare fraud

A Nonprofit head in Mississippi has pleaded guilty to charges of welfare fraud after being accused of stealing from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

John A. Bray, the head of a nonprofit organization in Jackson, Mississippi, entered a plea of guilty to two counts of welfare fraud in Hinds County Circuit Court. Mr. Bray was accused of obtaining and misusing funds from the state’s TANF program, which provides aid to low-income families.

The indictment alleged that Mr. Bray had stolen over $60,000 in TANF funds by submitting false applications and documents to the state Department of Human Services. The indictment further stated that Mr. Bray had used the stolen funds to purchase personal items such as electronic equipment, clothing, and jewelry.

In his guilty plea, Mr. Bray acknowledged that he had obtained funds from the TANF program by submitting fraudulent applications and documents. He also acknowledged that he had used the stolen funds for personal expenditures.

Mr. Bray was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 of those years suspended. He was also ordered by the court to pay $60,000 in restitution to the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

The prosecution of Mr. Bray was conducted by the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.

John A. Bray, the head of a nonprofit in Jackson, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to two counts of welfare fraud in Hinds County Circuit Court after being accused of misappropriating funds from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The indictment asserted that Mr. Bray had filched in excess of $60,000 in TANF monies by filing false applications and documents with the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Additionally, the charge claimed that Mr. Bray had employed the embezzled funds to procure personal items such as electronic equipment, clothing, and jewelry.

In his plea of guilty, Mr. Bray admitted that he had procured monies from the TANF program through the submission of fraudulent applications and documents, as well as the utilization of the stolen funds for personal expenditures. As a result of his plea, Mr. Bray was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 of those years suspended, and he was ordered to pay restitution of $60,000 to the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The prosecution of Mr. Bray was conducted by the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.