TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - The case against state Rep. Brian Aldridge and his parents for allegedly taking property from a relative and converting it to their personal use has been delayed in Lee County Circuit Court.
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports (https://bit.ly/1e0FRNA ) that they were scheduled to go to trial Monday before Circuit Judge James L. Roberts Jr. It was delayed after defense attorney T.K. Moffett asked for a continuance because he had a conflicting court appearance scheduled.
No new court date has been announced.
Brian Aldridge, a 36-year-old Republican from Tupelo, has been charged with one count of grand larceny. If convicted, Aldridge would have to resign the House seat he has held since 2004. He represents House District 17, which is entirely in Lee County.
Aldridge’s father, Louis Aldridge, 64, is charged with three counts embezzlement and his mother Janice Aldridge, 61, is charged with two counts of embezzlement. The couple is divorced.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison per each count.
They remain free on $5,000 bonds each.
The Aldridges were involved with the nonprofit Touched By An Angel Ministries Inc., for which Brian is CEO, and to which prosecutors said some of Florence Aldridge’s money was funneled. Other withdrawals from her accounts were for lavish trips, vehicles and cash, according to court documents.
In 2012, a chancery court judge ordered Brian Aldridge to pay more than $200,000 to his aunt, whose estate was drained by his father after some of her money was funneled through Touched By An Angel Ministries. Brian Aldridge has appealed that order, asking the Mississippi Supreme Court to overturn it.
That order came in a civil lawsuit that the aunt, Florence Aldridge, filed against the lawmaker and his parents after she lost more than $522,000 from her estate. Louis Aldridge is Florence Aldridge’s brother-in-law, and he held power of attorney over the estate. He also was once the chief financial officer of his son’s charity.
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Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, https://djournal.com
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