A former secretary and bookkeeper for the North Pemiscot County R-1 School District admitted in federal court in Cape Girardeau on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, that she embezzled $1,467,247.49 from the district she helped manage the books for.
Tammy Louise Barnes, 64, of Pemiscot County, pleaded guilty to three counts of federal bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Nearly five and a half years of transfers
Barnes admitted transferring money from the district’s bank account into an account she owned and controlled in about 57 electronic transactions between Dec. 13, 2018, and June 3, 2024, her plea says. Her job gave her access to the district’s account and the authority to pay legitimate school expenses, which prosecutors say she misused.
A federal grand jury indictment filed in February 2026 says district funds were held at First State Bank and Trust Company, Inc., an FDIC-insured institution, and that Barnes moved the money to a personal account she held at First State Community Bank in Pemiscot County. She then took the funds out through cash withdrawals, checks and further transfers, the indictment says.
The three counts each single out one transfer: $19,846.50 on or about Jan. 29, 2019, $26,123.51 on or about June 30, 2023, and $57,053.34 on or about Apr. 17, 2024.
Insurance covered $1 million of the loss
The Missouri United School Insurance Council, known as MUSIC, covered $1 million of the district’s loss. Under the terms of Barnes’s plea, she must first reimburse the district $467,247 and then repay MUSIC.
Barnes is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 18, 2027, when a judge will order her to repay the money. Each bank fraud count carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $1 million, or both.
From not guilty to guilty
A federal grand jury indicted Barnes on Feb. 10, 2026. She appeared in court the next day, pleaded not guilty and posted $2,000 bond, the Pemiscot Press reported at the time. North Pemiscot Superintendent Kim Emmons announced the charges to the community through the district’s Facebook page on Feb. 11, saying the district had worked with law enforcement and taken steps to protect its interests.
The FBI investigated the case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn is prosecuting it.
One open question remains: the February indictment described roughly $1,274,124 moved through the electronic transfers, while the plea total is $1,467,247.49. Neither the indictment nor the U.S. Attorney’s release explains the difference of about $193,000.