A Lauderdale County woman has entered a plea agreement after an investigation into fraudulent receipt of public assistance benefits, according to the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
Officials say Natisha Forest of Lauderdale County entered the plea agreement on March 16, 2026, in Lauderdale County Circuit Court following an investigation by the Mississippi Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Investigators determined Forest improperly received $36,860 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by failing to accurately report her household composition and income.
Before court proceedings concluded, the department recovered $5,065.12 of the total amount. Forest was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay fines, fees, and restitution totaling $32,885.88.
“This is a great example of collaboration between our investigations team, MDHS county offices, District Attorneys, and local law enforcement,” said MDHS Inspector General Sandra Griffith.
The case was investigated by Agent Reginald Adams with the MDHS Office of Inspector General’s Division of Investigation. The division, established in 2018, works to detect, prevent, and deter fraud, waste, and abuse and has recovered millions of dollars in SNAP overpayments since its creation.
“This investigation and plea agreement demonstrate, once again, the controls we have put in place to identify, investigate, and eliminate fraud in our programs; plainly, those controls are working,” said MDHS Executive Director Robert G. “Bob” Anderson.
