MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL 2016 Office of the Attorney General State of Mississippi 2016 Annual Report Attorney General Jim Hood 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Page 1 MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL A Message from Attorney General Jim Hood Dear Fellow Mississippians, This past January, I had the great privilege to be sworn in to my fourth term as Attorney General. I am humbled and honored by the confidence that the state’s voters have shown in me. As Mississippi’s chief legal officer, I lead a team of dedicated professionals, all of whom are committed to protecting our great state. As I begin my 14th year in office, I am pleased to present to you the annual report from my office for Fiscal Year 2016. Since I took office, rapid changes to technology have given criminals and con artists new ways to prey upon citizens. However, I am proud that our office has met the challenge of these modern problems. We use sophisticated investigative tools to track down cyber criminals and child predators. We strive to stay a step ahead of those who would attempt to take advantage of Mississippi residents. As we respond to new threats, we continue to investigate and prosecute new cases, assist consumers and crime victims, and train law enforcement officers and prosecutors. The attorneys, investigators, program managers, and support staff who serve you in the Attorney General's Office are among the most accomplished and experienced public servants in the nation. This year, two of them were singled out for national recognition. Paula Broome, Bureau of Victim Assistance, was recognized by the American Bar Association for her service to victims of domestic violence. Consumer investigator Doug Tyrone was named Investigator of the Year by Discover Financial Services. I am glad to have Paula, Doug, and many others like them on our staff. Mississippi is better for it. My priority remains protecting our children from online threats. My office leads the Mississippi Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a group comprised of more than 60 law enforcement agencies throughout the state. The task force continues to take dangerous child predators off the streets, and I will continue the important work of the task force to protect our children and vulnerable citizens. Our Bureau of Victim Assistance awarded more than $3.7 million to victims of violent crime this fiscal year. This money comes from assessments on criminals which goes back to help the victims. This year we trained more than 3,400 law enforcement officers, investigators, and dispatchers on Mississippi law, including de-escalation tactics, domestic violence laws, and issues related to sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. This year, my office recovered more than $75 million for the state, much of which came from out-of-state corporations which wronged Mississippi and its residents. As Fiscal Year 2017 started, the state received its first $150 million payment from BP. This was deposited into the State Budget Contingency Fund to assist in the economic recovery of our coastal communities and those areas impacted by the by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. To date, we have returned more than $3 billion to the state since I took office. Despite budget constraints, my office will continue to work to assist crime victims, fund claims for law enforcement officers and firefighters, and hold accountable anyone, whether an individual or greedy corporation, that seeks to harm Mississippi residents. I trust you to hold me and my office accountable, and this annual report demonstrates to you our record of performance. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Attorney General. Please let me or my office know if there is anything we can do better to help the great people of this state. Sincerely yours, Jim Hood Attorney General 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Page 3 MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Page 4 MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL Table of Contents Message from Attorney General Jim Hood 3 Table of Contents 5 Mississippi Attorney General’s Executive Summary 7 Executive Branch of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office 13 Bureau of Victim Assistance 15 Civil Litigation Division 27 Consumer Protection Division 39 Criminal Litigation Division 47 Medicaid Fraud Control Unit 50 Opinions and Local Government 51 Prosecutor Training Division 53 Public Integrity Division 55 (Public Integrity Unit, Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement, Child Desertion, Cyber Crime, DUI Train- ing, Insurance Fraud, and Vulnerable Adults) Administration and Support Services 81 Agriculture Division 84 Department of Corrections 85 Mississippi Development Authority 85 Department of Education 86 Department of Finance and Administration 89 Mississippi Forestry Commission 90 Mississippi Gaming Commission 90 Mississippi Department of Health 91 Human Services Division 93 Information Technology Services 95 Institutions of Higher Learning 96 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Page 5 MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL Table of Contents (Con’t) Mississippi Department of Insurance 98 Mississippi Department of Marine Resources 99 Division of Medicaid 101 Department of Mental Health 102 Pearl River Valley Water Supply District 103 State Personnel Board 104 Professional Licensure and Regulatory Section 105 Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) 105 Secretary of State Public Lands Division 106 Department of Rehabilitation Services 106 Mississippi Department of Transportation 107 State Veterans Affairs Board 110 Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks 111 Support Services Division 113-115 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Page 6 MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL FUNDS RECOVERED DURING FISCAL YEAR 2016 Source Type Amount Disposition Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Restitution & Penalties 13,527,598 State of MS; DOM; AGO; Federal Gov't Consumer Protection Division Restitution, Penalties & Settlement 1,630,059 State of MS; AGO; Consumers, Recoveries Victims, Citizens Public Integrity Division Restitution, Fines & Fees 87,326 State of MS; AGO; Victims & Citizens Vulnerable Persons Unit Restitution & Fines 349,096 Victims & Citizens Child Desertion Unit Restitution & Fines 285,385 DHS; Custodial Parents Insurance Integrity Enforcement Bureau Restitution & Fines 285,311 State of MS; AGO; Victims & Citizens Cyber Crime Division Restitution & Fines 67,000 State of MS; AGO; Victims & Citizens Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement Division Fines 94,514 Justice & Municipal Courts Civil Litigation Audit Recoveries 1,934,798 State of MS: Taxpayers Division of Medicaid Subrogation, Estate Recoveries & 2,474,088 State of MS; DOM; Clients Special Needs Trusts MS Department of Transportation Workers' Comp Subrogated Claims, Motor 186,660 State of MS; MDOT; Citizens Vehicle & Other Property Damage Department of Agriculture Fines & Penalties 49,975 State of MS; Dept of Ag. Department of Rehabilitation Services Subrogation claims 117,802 Agency Clients Pearl River Valley Water Supply District Delinquent Lease Fees 119,335 State of MS; PRVWSD Watson / Forest Laboratories Settlement 4,308,000 State of MS; AGO Transocean - BP Oil Settlement 4,000,000 State of MS Jannsen (Risperdal) Settlement 7,328,448 State of MS; AGO JP Morgan Chase Bank Settlement 4,088,020 State of MS; AGO Experian Information Solutions Inc Settlement 2,250,438 State of MS; AGO Transocean North America - BP Oil Settlement 5,000,000 State of MS; MDEQ; MS AGO Sandoz, Inc Settlement 26,033,316 State of MS Equifax, Inc Settlement 1,159,023 State of MS; AGO Total Funds Recovered - FY 2016 75,376,192 2016 ANNUAL REPORT Page 7 MISSISSIPPI ATTORNEY GENERAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BUREAU OF VICTIM ASSISTANCE Assisted 951 victims of violent and non-violent crimes Trained more than 3,400 law enforcement officers and dispatchers on Mississippi law Trained more than 605 court personnel (judges, clerks, and prosecutors) on state law related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, strangulation, and human trafficking Trained 691 professionals, including social workers, advocates, private attorneys, community members and faith-based groups Provided technical assistance to more than1,500 on the Domestic Abuse Protection Order Registry and Uniform Domestic Violence Offense Reporting System Trained 77 nurses in Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner certification Officer-Involved Shooting Training • 400 Trained—Officer involved shooting course in cooperation with USDOJ, RCTA, & LEAPS Crime Victim Compensation Crime Victim Compensation awarded $3,747,754.61 and received 1,171 claim applications Crime Victim Compensation received a federal grant for $972,000 Bureau of Victim Assistance paid $138,062.59 to cover costs of 197 sexual assault medical forensic examinations CIVIL LITIGATION $1,934,798.46 recovered in audit/ethics matters, including recoveries for cities and counties Positive outcome in 95 percent of Civil Litigation cases in federal and state courts Positive outcome in 100 percent of prisoner complaints filed in federal courts CONSUMER PROTECTION DIVISION Responded to 54,613 phone calls for assistance $1,426,139.07 collected in restitution $ 203,919.80 recovered in costs and fees Average restitution per investigator $285,227.81 1,504 cases opened 185 identity theft cases opened 14 home repair fraud cases opened 2 home repair fraud arrests 6 intellectual property crimes arrests 15 identity theft arrests 10 additional arrests (i.e. mail fraud, wire fraud, false pretense) CRIMINAL LITIGATION DIVISION Appellate Section Filed 328 briefs and 51 miscellaneous responses in the Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals Had 20 Oral