Woman arrested after she ‘spoofed’ Mississippi court phone number to get boyfriend released from jail, investigators say

Published 7:57 am Saturday, January 22, 2022

A Mississippi woman is under arrest after investigators say she spoofed the number of a county court to trick deputies into releasing her boyfriend from jail by faxing a fraudulent order for the inmate’s release.

On Jan. 11, the Lee County Adult Jail received a fax ordering the release of an inmate from the jail. The document was a sentencing order from Lee County Justice Court.

According to a post on social media, the staff of the jail recognized irregularities with the order and contacted Lee County Justice Court to inquire about its validity.

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Lee County Justice Court advised they had not sent any sentencing orders to the jail. Lee County Justice Court then contacted Lee County Sheriff’s Department investigators and advised them of the situation.

Criminal investigators immediately began investigating and discovered the fax number used to send the document belonged to Lee County Circuit Court. The investigation revealed that the fax number had been “spoofed” and no such fax had been sent from Lee County Circuit Court.

Stephanie House was identified as the suspect in this case and an arrest warrant was issued for her. Investigators say House is the

girlfriend of an inmate the document was ordering to be released from the jail.

Stephanie House has been charged with Uttering a Forgery and is currently in the Lee County Adult Jail.