Two Mississippi aldermen were arrested last week for filing fraudulent candidate statements.
A statement from Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said Jeffrey L. Riley, 48, an Alderman for the city of Sledge, and Ontario Braxton, 41, an Alderman for the city of Coahoma, were both arrested Thursday Jan. 8 in separate and unrelated cases.
Both defendants are charged with filing a false qualifying statement of intent for the Office of Alderman. Riley and Braxton are both convicted felons and are accused of intentionally failing to reveal that information in their qualifying paperwork. Both have been released on their own recognizance.
If convicted, Riley and Braxton face up to five years behind bars and a $10,000 fine. As with all cases, the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case is being investigated by Perry Tate and prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Stan Alexander of the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division.
Chickasaw County candidates began filing paperwork for county and state offices earlier this month and fall under similar legislation and qualifications.
To qualify for office, a candidate must be a registered voter of the municipality or district they will service. Candidates may not have been convicted of a federal crime or certain Mississippi crimes defined as punishable by incarceration in a state penitentiary unless they have received a full pardon. They also may not be convicted of a crime in another state that is considered a felony under Mississippi law.
Candidates cannot have been legally declared mentally incompetent.
Candidates must fill out an statement of economic interest online within 15 days of qualifying. After that they need to meet deadlines to file campaign finance reports. Failure to file either one of these reports can result in fines.
The Chickasaw County party primary election will be Aug. 4, with the runoff – if needed – Aug. 25 and the general election is Nov. 3.
Questions or concerns about voting issues, policy and procedure for any election should be directed to the Secretary of State’s office at (601) 359-1350.
Questions or concerns about candidate qualifications, ethics and conduct while in office should be directed to the Attorney General’s Public Integrity Division at (601) 359-4258.
The qualifying period for state and county offices began Jan. 1, and ends at 5 p.m. on Feb. 27.
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