Former Mississippi sheriff, deputy indicted on bribery charges — accused of requesting nude photos from inmate

Published 6:30 am Wednesday, November 16, 2022

A former Mississippi sheriff and deputy have been indicted on bribery charges by a federal grand jury.

WCBI in Columbus reports that former Noxubee County Sheriff Terry Grassaree has been indicted on one count of bribery and one count of giving a false statement to an FBI agent.

Former deputy Vance Phillips was indicted on one count of bribery.

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Grassaree is accused of lying to the FBI about requesting nude photos or videos from a former inmate in exchange for special privileges.

Prosecutors claimed the alleged bribery acts happened between 2017 and 2019.

A lawsuit was settled in April of last year where an inmate accused those two men of sexual acts, along with former deputy Damon Clark.

The former inmate said she was given special privileges in exchange for sex or sexually graphic videos. She was in jail for nearly four years before being released.

Grassaree and Phillips have a court appearance scheduled for November 22.