By Kevin Jefferies
Delta County – Delta County Sheriff Marcus L. Bassham resigned his position Wednesday and pleaded guilty in federal court to charge of unauthorized access of a protected computer and tax fraud.
45 year old Bassham, of Cooper, began instructing county employees to run criminal background checks on county databases that are restricted for use only by law enforcement personnel. Bassham admitted that he ordered the checks for his own personal financial gain. He billed Grocery Supply Co. for criminal background checks under the name Unity Investigations. Bassham had been running the company since before he took office and billed Grocery Supply Co. for over $30,000 from 200 to 2006. He also intentionally did not report the income on his taxes.
Bassham faces up to 8 years in federal prison and up to a half-million dollars in fines.