New information has been released regarding the charges against former Horn Lake Alderman Charlie Roberts.
Roberts was arrested on Wednesday, September 11th, 2024 on charges of fraud, making false statements/representations. He was held at DeSoto County Adult Detention Center on a $7,500 bond until he was released on bond around 9:30 that evening.
According to DeSoto County news, on Thursday, Roberts’s attorney claimed that Roberts had already repaid the compensation he received during Covid-19. The attorney stated that the repayment had been made two months earlier.
State Auditor Shad White and District Attorney Matthew Barton held a press conference on Wednesday in Hernando to announce that Roberts had been arrested, a former three-term alderman. One day later, Roberts’s attorney, Tony Farese, held a press conference in order to clarify and present new information.
Farese told DeSoto County News, ““I can tell you that Charlie applied for unemployment benefits during COVID and did not list his employment as an alderman because he checked and thought it was part-time work. He subsequently was notified that he had been overpaid unemployment benefits and that he owed money. They subsequently garnished his wages.”