Former interim Hinds County sheriff guilty in federal bribery case

Marshand Crisler, former interim sheriff of Hinds County and candidate, faces up to 10 years in prison after a federal jury in Jackson found him guilty Friday of soliciting and accepting bribes from a man with prior felony convictions and an outstanding violent charge .

Crisler was accused of soliciting and accepting $9,500 worth of bribes in exchange for favors during his unsuccessful 2021 campaign for Hinds County sheriff and giving the man ammunition he couldn’t have as a felon.

It took the jury nearly two hours to reach a unanimous verdict on both charges.

He will remain free on bail until his sentencing hearing, scheduled for February 6, 2025.

Crisler and family members seated behind him remained silent when the verdict was read Friday afternoon. He conveyed his comments to his attorney, John Colette, as he left the courthouse.

Colette told reporters outside the courthouse that they were disappointed with the jury’s decision and planned to appeal. He added that Crisler maintains his innocence and that he and his family are saddened by the jury’s verdict.

Over three days, the jury heard testimony from six people. Evidence examined, including witnesses and recordings of conversations between Crisler and Tonarri Moore, an FBI designated informant who has past felony convictions and pending state and federal charges.

Moore made the recordings for investigators. At several meetings in Jackson and around Hinds County in 2021, Crisler said he would provide more information about investigations involving him, move Moore’s cousin to a more secure part of the Hinds County jail, give him a job at the sheriff’s office and give him freedom. A gun, despite prohibitions against Moore owning a gun.

After the government finished calling its witnesses, Colette made a motion to acquit based on a lack of evidence to support the charges, but Senior Judge Tom Lee denied it.

On Friday morning, the jury heard from Crisler in person as the defense’s only witness.

In closing arguments, the government reminded the jury that Crisler accepted money from Moore and agreed to perform certain favors as a public official.

The government argued that Crisler did not report any money as campaign contributions because he did not want it to become public that he had accepted a bribe from a criminal.

“How he did it shows why he did it,” said Charles Kirkham of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Defense attorney Colette told the jury the evidence did not prove bribery. Crisler was trying to get campaign funds from Moore, which is not illegal.

Colette asked and jury instructions allowed the jury to consider whether Crisler, who she said was not a corrupt law enforcement officer, was set up.

“This whole case,” Colette said. “This entire corruption was orchestrated by the FBI so they could bring it down.”

The government had the final say and emphasized that bribery did not require completion of agreed upon actions.

In response to the entrapment charges, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bert Carraway said Crisler was not reluctant to take the money but agreed to do a favor or break the law, making the analogy that Crisler never took his foot off the gas and continued to accelerate.