Tenn. Attorney Harmon Hit with Bribery Charges

Grimey Times Exclusive: Memphis attorney Errol Harmon, 47, has been slammed with a litany of federal charges, including conspiracy, bribery, and interstate transportation in aid of bribery. The grim allegations stem from a sprawling scheme to defraud the State of Mississippi and the United States out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst alongside Michelle A. Sutphin of the FBI and Mississippi State Auditor Shad White. Harmon is accused of conspiring with Cerissa Renfroe Neal, the former Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Education (MDOE), and three Tennessee businessmen: Joseph B. Kyles, David B. Hunt, and Lambert Martin.

The scheme, which spanned 2013-2016, involved bid-rigging, false quotes, and altered purchase orders to inflate contract awards at the state department. Neal is alleged to have steered contracts to the businessmen in exchange for bribes and kickbacks, totaling over $650,000.

According to the indictment, Harmon’s involvement was to act as a conduit for money from Kyles and others, transferring it to Neal. He allegedly received cash or checks from Kyles and then wrote checks to Neal, totaling more than $42,000. The arraignment is set for September 24, 2020.

Neal, Hunt, Kyles, and Martin have all been separately indicted on federal charges related to their roles in the scheme. This case serves as a stark reminder of the depths to which public trust can be betrayed by those in positions of power.