WOODVILLE — Wilkinson County’s deputy sheriff and another individual have been indicted on conspiracy and wire fraud charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office deputy Christopher James, 43, and Kelvin Tolliver, 54, both of Woodville, federal prosecutors said, were charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of wire fraud for an alleged scheme to defraud Mississippi Farm Bureau.

U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst Jr. and FBI Special Agent Christopher Freeze said the two men sought to obtain fraudulently more than $12,000 in insurance proceeds.

The indictment alleges that James used his position with the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office to prepare and submit a false report stating that Tolliver’s ATV had been stolen, which it had not.

James, prosecutors said, also worked as a guard at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. 

James was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Ball on Wednesday and was released on a $10,000 bond, officials said.

The case is scheduled for trial on May 6 in Natchez, with U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette presiding and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dave Fulcher.

Hurst commended the Public Corruption Task Force of the FBI’s Jackson Division, which is comprised of special agents with the FBI and investigators from the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office, for their work on the investigation.

Hurst also commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics for assistance on the case.