Hinds County sheriff candidate Marshand Crisler has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly soliciting bribes and giving ammunition to a convicted felon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday. 

The alleged actions took place in 2021 when Crisler unsuccessfully ran for Hinds County sheriff, according to the news release. Crisler was appointed as interim sheriff that year following the death of Sheriff Lee Vance and sought a full term, but lost to the current sheriff, Tyree Jones. 

Crisler, 54, is charged with soliciting and accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for passing information about criminal investigations to the person who paid for the alleged bribe, according to court documents. 

He also allegedly agreed to protect the jailed family member of the person he’s accused of having bribed him and agreed to hire the person who paid for the alleged bribe in the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department, according to court records. 

The indictment alleges that Crisler gave ammunition to a person he knew was a convicted felon, which is also against federal law, according to the news release. 

Crisler has an initial court appearance scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today at the U.S. District Court in Jackson before U.S. Magistrate Judge LaKeysha Greer Isaac. 

If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the two counts in the indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

The FBI is investigating the case.

Crisler most recently served as the executive director of the Hinds County’s Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center. He resigned that position earlier this year to run again for sheriff, local media reported.

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