Former Mississippi Lottery Corporation Vice President Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

JACKSON, Miss. (June 13, 2024) – Today State Auditor Shad White announced that Hope Bishop, former Vice President of Human Resources at the Mississippi Lottery Corporation, has pleaded guilty to embezzlement. Bishop was arrested in November of 2023.

Bishop is accused of giving herself unauthorized raises. The Lottery Corporation staff discovered Bishop’s embezzlement and reported it to the State Auditor’s office when they were improving lottery operations. The Corporation has now put into place additional controls to prevent embezzlement in the future. Bishop was served with a $187,738.85 demand at the time of her arrest.

Bishop had no access to the gaming side of lottery operations, so her actions did not affect the integrity of lottery games.

“I’m thankful for the efforts of the investigators, prosecutors, and the lottery corporation for the joint work required to bring this case to a close,” said State Auditor Shad White.

Bishop was prosecuted by the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office. Bishop was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, 15 years suspended, and 5 years house arrest followed by 5 years of supervised probation. Fines, fees, and investigative costs were also ordered.

An insurance policy covered Bishop’s employment at the Mississippi Lottery Corporation.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online at any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or calling 1-(800)-321-1275 during normal business hours.

SOURCE: Mississippi Office of the State Auditory.