Former Mississippi Lottery employee sentenced to 20 years in prison for embezzlement of nearly $188,000

A former Mississippi Lottery Corporation employee was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for embezzlement this week, it was reported.

Hope Bishop was arrested in 2023, accused of giving herself unauthorized raises over an undisclosed period of time, according to State Auditor Shad White, who spoke with local station WTVA.

She embezzled up to $187,738.85, local station WLBT reported, and was ordered to repay that amount when she was arrested in November 2023.

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Bishop worked as the company's vice president of human resources, meaning she didn't have direct access to the games the company ran. The auditor emphasized that Bishop's actions did not impact the integrity of the state's lottery games, according to WLBT.

His crimes were allegedly discovered by company staff, who reported the embezzlement to the auditor's office. The discovery was made while they were improving lottery operations, the local station reported. The organization has since implemented additional controls to prevent future misappropriation of funds and protect company assets.

On Thursday, Bishop was sentenced to 20 years in prison, 15 of which were suspended and five years of house arrest, followed by five years of probation. In other words, Bishop will serve five years of house arrest followed by five years of probation, lest she violate the conditions of either, and her suspended prison sentence will then take effect .

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In addition to the thousands of dollars she had to repay, Bishop would also have had to pay fines, fees and investigation costs related to the audit. WLBT reported that an insurance policy covered his employment – ​​although the terms of that policy remain unclear or how it factored into the case.

Bishop's arrest in November came amid the arrest of Brittney Phillips, a former employee of the Rankin County, Mississippi, tax collector's office. She was accused, according to WLBT, of embezzling money from the office by failing to register her car's license plates and accepting cash payments anyway.

Caroline Gilbert, the tax collector, allegedly implicated the state auditor after she began to suspect Phillips' crimes. She had to repay $36,583.47 upon her arrest.

She previously worked at the office since 2021 and was fired in May 2023 after CCTV confirmed her theft. She faces 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. His employment was reportedly covered by a $50,000 bond.