Former Hinds County Sheriff Marshand Crisler has been sentenced to 30 months in prison. The sentencing follows his conviction for soliciting and accepting bribes and providing ammunition to a convicted felon. In addition to the prison term, Crisler was fined $15,000.
Crisler, aged 55, took office as Sheriff of Hinds County in August 2021. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that he accepted $9,500 in cash bribes from a convicted felon over three months starting in September 2021. In return for the money, Crisler offered favors such as sharing information about upcoming criminal investigations involving the bribe payor, relocating a jailed family member to better conditions within the Hinds County Jail, and employing the bribe payor at the Sheriff's Office. Additionally, Crisler provided ammunition to this individual despite knowing they were a convicted felon.
A federal jury found Crisler guilty on all counts on November 8, 2024, after a three-day trial held in U.S. District Court in Jackson.
"It is against federal law for a public official to solicit or accept bribes," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi. It is also illegal under federal law to provide firearm ammunition to a known convicted felon.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff announcing alongside Lemon. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bert Carraway and Charles W. Kirkham.
