Sunflower County Chief Deputy Marvin Flowers has resigned following his arrest last week by the FBI.
Flowers was one of 20 arrested early in the morning on Thursday, Oct. 30 after a years-long FBI public corruption investigation in the Mississippi Delta.
In an executive session during the Monday meeting of the Sunflower County Board of Supervisors, the board accepted Flowers’ resignation. Flowers worked for the department for 13 years.
A press conference was held at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi in Oxford later in the day after the arrests were made. There, the FBI announced the indictment and arrest of 20 individuals on criminal charges related to their alleged participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Flowers was among 14 local law enforcement officials in the Mississippi Delta, which also included two sheriffs.
Making the announcement were U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi, Deputy Director Andrew Bailey of the FBI and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office.
“We’re here today to talk about some critically serious allegations that mark a monumental betrayal of public trust,” said Joyner.
He said the indictments generally allege the taking of bribes to attempt to aid drug trafficking. Many of the current or former law enforcement officers accused are charged with accepting bribes to provide protection and safe passage for illegal narcotics across the Delta region and into Memphis. The indictments include charges for conspiracy, aiding in drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
According to Joyner, Flowers is being charged with conspiracy to aid the transport and distribution of illegal narcotics, bribes, firearm-related offenses involving the transport of what was believed to be 25 kilograms of cocaine.
The two Delta sheriffs indicted were Milton Gaston, the sheriff of Washington County, and Bruce Williams, the sheriff of Humphreys County.
Marquivious Bankhead of Greenwood, who had recently resigned from the Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop D, was charged with aiding and abetting the transport of what he believed was 25 kilograms of cocaine and a firearms offense.
“When I’m giving you this list of places of employment, a lot of them are still employed, or were up to today in those places. But the places I’m referring to where they’re employed, that’s really during the times that are relevant to the charges in their indictment,” he said.
Residents who live near where the arrests were made early Thursday morning have reported waking up to a loud noise that sounded like thunder and seeing multiple unmarked vehicles and an armored truck. A voice could be heard on a speaker announcing, “This is the FBI.” All occupants of the targeted residence were requested to come outside the home.
“This was a years-long investigation. This wasn’t anything that happened overnight,” said Joyner. “(The FBI) invested a lot of time, a lot of resources to conduct a very thorough investigation that continues today. ... I just appreciate the fact that good men and good women are standing in that breach to try to restore confidence in our law enforcement agencies in Mississippi.”
Bailey said his presence at the press conference was to underline the importance and the magnitude of this case.
“This operation and these indictments are a success, but they point to a troubling reality,” he said. “We’re talking about 14 current or former law enforcement officers, six co-conspirators, who are alleged to have sold out the public, promoted crimes that they should have been investigating and stopped, and instead of working to stem the flow of dangerous controlled substances, the evidence will show they took bribes to facilitate the distribution of controlled substances. They betrayed the trust that the public placed in them, disgraced the badge, and undermined the hard work of good law enforcement officers across the state and across the region.
“Let this be a lesson for those sworn to serve the public that if you’re a good law enforcement officer, the FBI will always stand with you. But for those corrupt individuals who abuse their office, we will come for you and hold you accountable.”
Eikhoff said this type of corruption strikes at the heart of a community.
“It erodes public confidence and undermines the strength of law enforcement integrity,” he said. “Earlier this month, the FBI responded to the mass killing in Leland, Mississippi. During many interviews, we learned of the community’s distrust of select law enforcement officers due to the concerns of corruption. Law enforcement is only effective when the community they protect can trust that law enforcement officers are honestly serving the community’s interest. Mississippians deserve and rightfully expect officers to obey their oath.”
It was reported that the investigation can be characterized as a sting, but the original complaints that began the investigation were from drug dealers.
Some of the alleged bribes were as much as $20,000, and the highest on was about $37,000.
Joyner said that the conspiracy indictments imply that this was a network of people working together.
By the afternoon, all charged were no longer in custody and had bonded out.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Mims is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Here is a list of all indicted individuals and their charges:
- Brandon Addison (Hollandale Police Department, Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office): Conspiracy to provide safe passage for illegal narcotics and proceeds; bribe-related offenses; firearms offenses.
- Javery Howard (Metcalfe Police Department, later Hollandale): Same as above.
- Milton Gaston (Sheriff, Washington County): Same as above.
- Truron Grayson (Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office): Same as above.
- Bruce Williams (Sheriff, Humphreys County): Same as above.
- Sean Williams (Yazoo City Police Department): Same as above.
- Dexture Franklin (Washington County Sheriff’s Office): Same as above.
- Wendell Johnson (Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office): Same as above.
- Marcus Nolan, Aasahn Roach, Jeremy Sallis, Torio Chaz Wiseman, Pierre Lakes, Derrik Wallace: Civilian or law enforcement co-conspirators charged with escorting drugs, conspiracy, and actions during narcotics runs including a trip to Memphis or Miami as detailed in the indictments.
- Jamario Sanford (Greenwood Police Department): Conspiracy to aid the transport and distribution of illegal narcotics, bribes, firearm-related offenses involving the transport of what was believed to be 25 kilograms of cocaine.
- Marvin Flowers (Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department): Same as above.
- Martavis Moore (Greenville Police Department): Aiding and abetting the transport of what he believed was 25 kilograms of cocaine; firearms offense.
- Marquivious Bankhead (Mississippi Highway Patrol): Same as above.
- Chaka Gaines (Greenville Police Department): Attempting to aid and abet the transport of narcotics, tracking drugs through the Delta; related firearms offense.
- Dequarian Smith (Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department, Isola Police Department): Conspiracy to aid and abet the possession, transport, and distribution of illegal narcotics.
