JACKSON – State Auditor Shad White announced Thursday that special agents with his office have arrested a former Laurel public works director accused of misusing city equipment and attempting to conceal evidence related to the investigation.
According to the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor, Luther Russell, the former Laurel Public Works director, is accused of using heavy equipment owned by the City of Laurel to perform work on his personal property.
Investigators allege Russell instructed employees to load the city’s track hoe onto a city-owned low-boy trailer and transport the equipment to his property, where it was allegedly used for personal work.
Authorities also said the roadway outside Russell’s home was damaged when the heavy equipment was transported to the property. After the county instructed that the roadway be repaired, Russell allegedly ordered employees to disable the GPS tracking device on a city-owned vehicle to conceal the vehicle’s movements while repairing the road.
“Thank you to the agents in my office who did the hard work in uncovering this scheme,” White said in a statement. “We will continue to work closely with prosecutors to get record results for taxpayers.”
Russell faces up to $8,000 in fines and up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Officials noted that all persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The State Auditor’s Office encourages the public to report suspected fraud by visiting the auditor’s website and clicking the reporting link or by calling 1-800-321-1275 during normal business hours.
