A Mississippi woman who admitted to committing fraud and diverting over $40,000 away from needy children has been given the maximum prison sentence allowed by state law, according to a news release from the state auditor’s office.

Auditor Shad White announced on Wednesday that Carol Jackson was sentenced by Judge W. Ashley Hines’s earlier this week.

Hines ordered Jackson to spend 5 years in prison and pay $62,627.66 in restitution along with court and bond fees. District Attorney Dewayne Richardson’s Office prosecuted the case.

Special Agents from the Auditor’s office arrested Jackson in August of 2021 after a local grand jury indicted her for fraud. Through a nonprofit organization, Jackson obtained a government grant meant to provide meals for needy schoolchildren in the summer months, but she actually used the funds to travel, write large checks to herself, and make cash withdrawals from an ATM at a local casino.

“The message here is clear: there are serious consequences for stealing from the taxpayers. Other fraudsters should be on notice,” said White. “Prosecutors make decisions about who to charge for a crime, so thank you to both the investigators at the Office of the State Auditor and the prosecutors whose work got us here.”