SNAP Fraud Investigation Leads to Indictment in Oktibbeha County

An Oktibbeha County, Miss. resident surrendered to authorities on April 24, 2025, following a SNAP fraud investigation conducted by the Investigations Division of the Mississippi Department of Human Service (MDHS).

MDHS announced that Deidre Blair of Oktibbeha County received $43,690.00 in SNAP benefits by not reporting household income accurately to MDHS. Based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, the case was referred to the Oktibbeha County District Attorney’s office. The Oktibbeha County District Attorney secured an indictment on April 4, 2025, and Blair later turned herself into MDHS and Oktibbeha County officials on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

“This is a great example of collaboration between our investigations team, County offices, District Attorney’s office, and local law enforcement,” stated MDHS Inspector General Sandra Griffith.

Agent Hunter Walton of the MDHS Investigations Division investigated the case. The Investigations Division is a subset of the MDHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), which was created in August 2018 and charged with detecting, deterring and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse. OIG has been responsible for millions of dollars collected from overpayments.

“This investigation demonstrates the strengthened controls we have in place to identify, investigate, and eliminate fraud in our programs,” MDHS Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson said.

An indictment is only an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Suspected fraud can be reported to MDHS online at any time by submitting the MDHS Fraud Tip Form at  Report Fraud – Mississippi Department of Human Services  calling the Fraud Tip Line at 1-(800)-299-6905, or email at fraud@mdhs.ms.gov.