Three education officials — two former Mississippi superintendents and a Missouri schoolteacher — have been sentenced in federal court for stealing nearly $400,000 in U.S. Department of Education funds.
U.S. Attorney Scott Leary announced that Mario Wilson, 58, of Southaven; Earl Joe Nelson, 57, of Biloxi; and Monekea Smith-Taylor, 53, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to embezzle federal program funds.
Wilson was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $393,000 in restitution. Nelson received a 14-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $143,000 in restitution. Smith-Taylor was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution.
Court documents show that Wilson was the superintendent of Hollandale School District. Nelson served as superintendent of Clarksdale Municipal School District from July 2019 to May 2022, before taking over as superintendent of Leake County School District in October 2022. Smith-Taylor worked as a schoolteacher in the St. Louis, Missouri area.
Prosecutors said Nelson and Wilson exploited their positions as school superintendents to carry out the crimes, working alongside Smith-Taylor to embezzle public funds for personal gain.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case as part of a broader federal effort to combat fraud involving taxpayer dollars.
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