A former fire chief and former secretary of a Mississippi volunteer fire department have been convicted of embezzlement and will have to repay more than $35,000 in equipment and money they stole from the department and serve probation.

Mark Hanna and Linda Mannon have been convicted of embezzlement in Marshall County Circuit Court. The case was prosecuted by District Attorney Ben Creekmore’s office in Judge Kent Smith’s court chambers. The guilty plea and sentencing were recorded last week.

“Unfortunately this is one of several cases my team has cracked involving funds that should have been spent on fire department services,” said Auditor White. “Putting a stop to this kind of theft is important because those dollars should be spent on more fire protection for the firefighters and citizens. Thank you to our great investigators who worked this case.”

Mark Hanna and Linda Mannon were arrested in October 2021 after being indicted for embezzling over $35,000 from the Red Banks Volunteer Fire Department (RBVFD). Mark Hanna is the former RBVFD Chief, and Mannon worked as a secretary for the fire department. The pair embezzled both equipment and money from the volunteer fire department.

Hanna is accused of using fire department funds to purchase farm and lawn equipment for his own personal use. He also allegedly used public money to make a payment on his house. A demand letter for $3,459.15 was presented to Hanna at the time of his arrest.

Mannon allegedly issued herself over 100 different RBVFD checks – totaling over $30,000 – while she was working as a secretary for the fire department. A $47,229.12 demand letter was presented to her upon arrest.

Mannon was given a 20-year suspended sentence, will have to pay restitution and serve a total of 10 years of probation.

Hanna was given a 10-year suspended sentence and will have to serve five years probation and pay restitution.

Both Hanna and Mannon are now convicted of a felony offense and will not be able to handle public money again. Judge Smith’s sentencing order has been filed with the Marshall County Circuit Clerk’s office.