Pearl River Man Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement of Tribal Rental Program Funds

Jackson, MS – On September 2, 2026, a Pearl River man pleaded guilty to embezzlement from an Indian tribal organization.

According to court documents, Benjamin E. Stephens, 43, embezzled approximately $200,000 from the Choctaw Rental Housing Program while working as an employee of the Tribal program. Stephens was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2025.

U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger of the Southern District of Mississippi, and Robert Eikhoff, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Jackson Office, made the announcement. 

Stephens is scheduled to be sentenced in January of 2027 and faces a maximum penalty of not more than five years in prison. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Choctaw Police Department and the FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin J. Payne, Brian K. Burns and Special Assistant United States Attorney Kalleigh McCoy prosecuted the case.