RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – The former vice president of Human Resources at the Mississippi Lottery Corporation (MLC) pled guilty to embezzlement.

State Auditor Shad White said Hope Bishop was arrested in November 2023.

Bishop is accused of giving herself unauthorized raises. The MLC staff discovered Bishop’s embezzlement and reported it to the State Auditor’s office when they were improving lottery operations.

According to White, the MLC has now put into place additional controls to prevent embezzlement in the future. Bishop was served with a $187,738.85 demand at the time of her arrest.

White said Bishop had no access to the gaming side of lottery operations, so her actions did not affect the integrity of lottery games.

“I’m thankful for the efforts of the investigators, prosecutors, and the lottery corporation for the joint work required to bring this case to a close,” said the State Auditor.

Bishop was prosecuted by the Rankin County District Attorney’s Office. She was sentenced to 20 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), 15 years suspended, and five years house arrest followed by five years of supervised probation.

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.