News

More than a dozen agencies across North Mississippi came together for a press conference hosted by Lee County DA Jason Herring. The conference announced the successful conclusion of Operation Overload resulting in multiple arrests, retentions and citations. 

Irish Lee, 49, of Como, Mississippi, was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. This arrest was made as a part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative. 

A Pakastani national and former neurologist was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison with 5 years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay his victims $112,000.

Sharka Corbin of Memphis, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday to over ten years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possessing a firearm as a prior convicted felon. Corbin was charged after he fled law enforcement from Tennessee into the Northern District of Mississippi. 

Last month the USAO-NDMS joined DOJ and DHS in observing National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. This reaffirms the administration’s commitment to combat all forms of human trafficking and protecting victims and survivors.  

United States Attorney Scott F. Leary announced today that the Northern District of Mississippi collected $5,293,082.96 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2025. Of this amount, $3,100,899.34 was collected in criminal actions and $2,192,183.62 was collected in civil actions.  Additionally, $1,172,013 was collected in asset forfeiture actions. 

Earl Joe Nelson and Monekea Smith-Taylor appeared in Federal Court before District Judge Sharion Aycock in Aberdeen today and pled guilty to conspiracy to commit embezzlement.  They join Mario Willis, who also pled guilty to the same conspiracy in October 2025. These individuals used their position as school superintendents to enter into contracts and generate payments for consulting services at an inflated rate of payment and for consulting services that were not actually provided. 

After a traffic stop by officers with the Tishomingo County Sheriff's Department and Mississippi Highway Patrol, Arturo Bonilla, an illegal alien from Mexico, was found to be in possession of methamphetamine. After an investigation, agents with the Department of Homeland Security determined not only was he responsible for trafficking at least six kilograms into Mississippi but he was also in our country illegally. Senior Judge Sharion Aycock sentenced Bonila to 120 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release in the event he remains in our country. However, ICE placed an

Aberdeen, MS – A Cleveland man was sentenced today to 151 months in prison for distribution of cocaine.

ABERDEEN, MS – Docterance Atkins, 32, was sentenced last week to 37 months imprisonment for Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Money Laundering. Atkins, at a prior date, had pleaded guilty to one count of Wire Fraud, and a separate count of Money Laundering. 

GREENVILLE, MS – Keith Blake Clifton, 31, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years for producing images of a child during his sexual assault of the victim and distributing child sexual abuse material through a mobile messaging application. 

Greenville, MS – A federal jury convicted a Tennessee man this week of three counts of transporting a minor across state lines to engage in sex.