A former official for the Mississippi Lottery Corporation accused of stealing nearly $200,000 from taxpayers has pleaded guilty to embezzlement.

State Auditor Shad White announced that Hope Bishop, former Vice President of Human Resources at the Mississippi Lottery Corporation, 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.

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 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.

Bishop was prosecuted by the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office.

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