Facing 13 fraud charges, Moss Point mayor and wife ask for delay to negotiate a plea
Moss Point Mayor Mario King and his wife, Natasha, are asking for delay in their trial on wire fraud and conspiracy charges because they are in the process of plea negotiations with the government.
The couple had a Tuesday deadline to inform their court of whether they planned to change their pleas to guilty prior to the Nov. 2 trial.
Mario King’s attorney, Calvin Taylor, and Natasha King’s attorney, Cameron McCormick, asked for a new trial date and plea deadline because the couple is involved in “ongoing plea negotiations” with the government.
In addition, one of the attorneys involved said they had been exposed to coronavirus and quarantined for 14 days.
If a defendant cooperates with the government and enters into a plea agreements, prosecutors usually recommend a lighter sentence, though a judge ultimately makes that ruling based on sentencing guidelines.
A federal grand jury indicted the Kings in June on 13 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud. The indictment was unsealed a month later.
The charges alleged the couple bought a Volvo and pedigreed dog with money they raised for mental health services in Moss Point.
The indictment says Mario King, 33, and Natasha King, 32, defrauded contributors of money meant to primarily benefit Moss Point youth. The crimes allegedly occurred from late 2018 or early 2019 until May 2019.
Some of the money that was raised covered the cost of the Mayor’s Gala for a fundraiser for mental health, but the couple is accused of using some of the proceeds on personal expenses.
The couple created Rejuvenate LLC in April 2018 and Natasha King opened a bank account for the company at Hancock Bank, according to the indictment.
The charges detail mental health contributions the Kings spent from the Rejuvenate account after they solicited donations and promoted the fundraiser through local media
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The 13 wire fraud charges are related to transfers for donations from PayPal to the Rejuvenate account, plus withdrawals from the account for personal expenses.
When the Kings went to court after their indictments were unsealed in July, Mario King said he was looking forward to his day in court.
The Kings pleaded not guilty to the charges at the time of their arrests.
Both are facing a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Moss Point residents elected Mario King, a Democrat, as mayor in June 2017 at the age of 30. He beat the incumbent with 61% of the vote.
His tenure has been marked by controversy, including a domestic violence charge involving his wife that was ultimately dropped, and various lawsuits.
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 5:50 AM.
