Jackson man found guilty in kickback case sentenced to prison

A judge on Monday sentenced the 35-year-old Jackson man convicted of stealing more than $500,000 from his Sikeston employer to 15 years in prison.

A jury found Jason Paul Mitchell guilty of the stealing charge on June 19.

Mitchell was part of a kickback scheme that led to the transfer of $516,450.24 to a fraudulent bank account from 2007 to 2009, prosecutors said.

Mitchell was the purchasing manager for the landscaping materials firm DeWitt Co. He was responsible for buying materials used in the manufacture of DeWitt products.

He secretly arranged for one of the suppliers to return 4 percent of every purchase DeWitt made from the supplier to his personal account in Cape Girardeau.

Mitchell's salary with DeWitt was $90,000 per year.