Just a day after an indictment was unsealed on a former Jackson police officer who had been working for the Hinds County District Attorney’s office, the former Public Safety Director of Jackson and Interim Hinds County Sheriff was indicted on a similar charge.
A federal grand jury in Jackson has returned an indictment charging Marshand Crisler with soliciting bribes and with providing ammunition to a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
According to court documents, Crisler, 54, of Jackson, is charged with having solicited and accepted thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for agreeing to pass information concerning criminal investigations to the person who paid the bribes.
Crisler also allegedly agreed to protect a jailed family member of that person and agreed to award employment with the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office to that person. These actions are alleged to have taken place during Crisler’s previous unsuccessful campaign for Hinds County Sheriff in 2021.
The indictment also alleges that Crisler gave ammunition to a person he knew to be a convicted felon. It is against federal law for a public official to solicit or accept bribes. It is also against federal law to provide firearm ammunition to a known convicted felon.
Crisler pleaded not guilty to both charges in his initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac.
Crisler was given a $10,000 bond and his trial was set for 9 a.m., June 12, before Judge Tom Lee.
Crisler is also a former Jackson city councilman and previously served as Utica chief of police. He also has more than two decades of experience in law enforcement and served as Jackson Public Safety director. He most recently served as the director of the Henley Young Juvenile Justice Center.
Crisler will make his initial court appearance today at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
If convicted, Crisler faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison as to each of the two counts in the indictment. This all comes one day after a year-old indictment was unsealed against former Jackson Police Officer Torrence Mayfield, who faces a charge of selling a weapon to a convicted felon. Mayfield also worked for Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens.
