Charges dismissed against developer David B. Hunt who was indicted for wire fraud in 2020
A federal court dismissed charges against David B. Hunt, a developer from Jackson, Tennessee, who had been indicted by a Mississippi grand jury in 2020, after years of investigations and legal maneuvering.
Hunt had been accused of wire fraud and conspiracy in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the state of Mississippi and the federal government.
Hunt, along with Cerissa Renfroe Neal, of Madison County, Joseph Kyles and Lambert Martin, both of Memphis, Tennessee, were indicted in February 2020 as part of an alleged scheme in which Neal supposedly used her position at the Mississippi Department of Education to rig bids in favor of Kyles, Martin and Hunt's businesses. Neal had been director of the Office of Educator Quality at the department.
The scheme supposedly took place between 2013 and 2016, and involved splitting single bids into multiple components in order to make the cost appear smaller, along with preferential treatment allegedly being given to the businesses involved.
The charges against Hunt, who had repeatedly maintained his innocence saying he had been mistakenly included in the conspiracy by prosecutors, have now been dropped.
Hunt told the Jackson Sun in 2020 that he paid Kyles, a consultant, commission to find work for his development company. That work can include government contracts. Hunt said paying consultants for this kind of work is normal in his business.
"I’ve been doing that for 20 years, and that’s all I did,” Hunt said. “What he did with his money, I have no idea.”
Hunt's defense team made their case to the prosecution that there was not enough evidence against him. The federal prosecutor agreed, and motioned for the indictment to be dismissed, nearly two years after a grand jury had first brought it against Hunt.
In a statement Michael T. Dawkins, criminal defense attorney at Baker Donelson who represented Hunt, celebrated the decision.
"At the Government’s request, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi dismissed all charges against David Hunt. This dismissal against Mr. Hunt solidifies his reputation as an exceptional father, husband and community leader, and is consistent with what Mr. Hunt has asserted all along: that he is not guilty of the wrongdoing with which he was charged. Mr. Hunt is thankful to be restored to his rightful place in the community," Dawkins said.
Charges were not dropped against Neal, whose case is still pending. Neal was also indicted last year for separate charges that she committed fraud when applying for a Paycheck Protection Program loan.
The investigation into the alleged scheme included multiple state and federal forces. Agents from the FBI and the inspector general's office at the federal Department of Education joined former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Mike Hurst and State Auditor Shad White as parties listed on the indictment announcement in 2020.
A spokesperson for White said, despite being listed on that announcement, their involvement in the investigation was limited because the scheme took place prior to him being appointed auditor in 2018. Much of the auditor's role in the investigation occurred under White's predecessor, Stacey Pickering. Pickering could not be reached for comment.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Wire fraud indictment dismissed in Mississippi against developer
