Felon elected to office is ordered to repay compensation
Published 10:26 am Wednesday, May 1, 2019
(AP) — An elected Mississippi official has been ordered to repay his salary with interest as state law says felons can’t hold elected office.
The Clarion Ledger reports Holmes County Supervisor Eddie J. Carthan was ordered to repay more than $184,000 this month.
Carthan became the first black mayor of Tchula in 1977. Around that time, he and several others were convicted of assaulting a white police officer. He later served prison time on federal charges of making false statements to get bank loans.
Auditor Shad White says an investigation determined Carthan lied about the convictions when he first applied to run for office in 2015. But Carthan submitted a form this year that didn’t specify he wasn’t a felon.
The attorney general’s office declined to comment, but pointed to the statute.