BOLIVAR COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Special Agents from the State Auditor’s Office arrested the former mayor of Beulah.

According to State Auditor Shad White, Bertha Thomas was charged with three counts of embezzlement. She’s accused of embezzling tax disbursements issued to the town by the Bolivar County Tax Collector. Thomas was served with a $12,573.42 demand letter at the time of her arrest.

“Big or small, we will continue to identify embezzlement of your taxpayer dollars and forward these cases to prosecutors for enforcement,” said White.

Thomas faces up to 20 years and $5,000 in fines per count if convicted.

Suspected fraud can be reported to the Auditor’s office online by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or calling 1-(800)-321-1275 during normal business hours.