Mississippi Prison Bribery Case Could Expand

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – A federal prosecutor says as many as 11 more people may be charged criminally in matters related to a Mississippi prison contract bribery scheme.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren LaMarca tells U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate that prosecutors plan to announce the charges by mid-July.

The prosecutor’s statements came in a Wednesday hearing about evidence relating to the sentencing of former Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps and Brandon businessman Cecil McCrory. Both have pleaded guilty

LaMarca says 10 of the people could face federal charges, while one could face state charges.

Defense lawyers say they need more time to study financial documents from companies that provided kickbacks to Epps before sentencing. Prosecutors want to increase Epps’ recommended sentence to the maximum 23 years by calculating the economic benefit that companies received.