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  • Auditor Arrests Former Director of Mississippi DHS and Co-Conspirators in Largest Public Embezzlement Case in State History

    Auditor Arrests Former Director of Mississippi DHS and Co-Conspirators in Largest Public Embezzlement Case in State History

    Defendants Accused of Obtaining Millions in Funds Intended for Poor

    JACKSON, Miss. – Special agents from the office of State Auditor Shad White have arrested John Davis, the former Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS); former DHS employee Latimer Smith; Dr. Nancy New, owner and Director of the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) and New Learning, Inc.; Zach New, Assistant Executive Director of MCEC; Anne McGrew, accountant for MCEC; and Brett DiBiase in connection with a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme. The indictments include a range of violations involving fraud and embezzlement.

    Auditors concluded, after an eight-month investigation, that the accused conspired to illegally obtain millions in public funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program administered by DHS. Defendants used a variety of business entities and schemes to defraud the taxpayers.

    “The funds that were illegally obtained in this case were intended to help the poorest among us. The funds were instead taken by a group of influential people for their own benefit, and the scheme is massive. It ends today,” said Auditor White.

    Davis and Smith stand accused of fraudulently manufacturing documents to enrich Brett DiBiase using TANF money. Davis and Smith created invoices to pay DiBiase TANF funds for teaching classes about drug abuse, but DiBiase was in a luxury rehabilitation facility for his own drug use in California at the time and did not perform the services. Davis and Smith created documents and arranged payment knowing DiBiase was not performing the work he was hired to perform.

    Nancy New and her son, Zach New, stand accused of using the News’ non-profit, MCEC, to pay for DiBiase’s drug treatment using TANF funds. At Davis’ direction, MCEC used TANF money received from DHS to pay for DiBiase’s opioid treatment at the Rise in Malibu facility. The documentation submitted by the News claimed this was to pay DiBiase for conducting training classes that never, in fact, took place.

    The News also stand accused of transferring millions in TANF funds to their private businesses. They then converted funds to their personal use and concealed the conversion through various fund transfers, fraudulent documents, at least one forged signature, and deceptive accounting measures.

    Finally, Davis and the News are accused of creating a fraud scheme to take TANF funds to pay for personal investments in medical device companies (Prevacus, Inc., and PreSolMD, LLC) in Florida.

    “I don’t care how politically connected a person may be. You do not have the right to treat taxpayer money as your own or to lie to the taxpayers about what you’re doing with that money. Others doing this kind of thing are on notice: this will not be tolerated now,” said White.

    All accused were indicted by a grand jury assembled by Jody Owens, District Attorney of Hinds County. District Attorney Owens and assistant district attorneys will prosecute the case.

    “The Hinds County District Attorney’s Office looks forward to working with the State Auditor Shad White and his dedicated team to end public corruption in Mississippi,” said Owens. “The misuse of government funds designed for families in need will not be tolerated by our office and those who break the law will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”

    “We have worked tirelessly in the Auditor’s office to uncover this sprawling conspiracy, so I want to thank the investigators, auditors, and analysts who all assisted,” added White.

    The total amount of money lost to these schemes has not yet been determined, but the loss already exceeds any embezzlement scheme in the records of the Auditor’s office. Records are kept for all cases from the last twenty years.

    Because of the large amount of money involved, and until the full extent of the loss to the taxpayers is determined, this is considered an ongoing investigation by the Auditor’s office. There will be no additional comments at this time.

    If convicted on all counts, the accused face hundreds of years in prison. Persons arrested by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

    Additional suspected fraud involving this case or any other can be reported to the Auditor’s office online any time by clicking the red button at www.osa.ms.gov or via telephone during normal business hours at 1-(800)-321-1275.

  • Boil Water Notice Issued For Fayette, Lorman And Jefferson County

    Boil Water Notice Issued For Fayette, Lorman And Jefferson County

    Order Impacts Nearly 7,000 People in Jefferson County

    The Mississippi Department Of Public Health has issued a Boil Water Notice for customers of:

    • City Of Fayette Water System (approx. 2,301 customers)
    • Lorman Water Association (approx. 2,000 customers)
    • McNair-Stampley Water Association #1 (approx. 1,286 customers)
    • McNair-Stampley Water Association #2 (approx. 739 customers)
    • McNair-Stampley Water Association #3 (approx. 628 customers)

    DO NOT:

    • Do not drink tap water while the water system is under a boil water advisory.
    • Do not drink from water fountains in parks, public or private buildings that receive water from the affected system.
    • Do not use ice unless it has been made with boiled water. Freezing will not necessarily kill harmful bacteria.
    • Do not use tap water to make drinks, juices, or fountain soft drinks.

    DO:

    • Wash your dishes in boiled water, or use paper plates for the next few days.
    • Wash your fruits and vegetables with boiled or bottled water since they may have been exposed to affected water from grocery store sprayers.
    • Wash your hands and bathe as usual. Bathing is safe as long as no water is swallowed.
    • Brush your teeth with boiled or bottled water.
    • Cook with tap water if the food will be boiled for at least one minute.

    AND REMEMBER:

    • Properly chlorinated water in swimming pools is safe.
    • Fish in aquariums are not affected.

    Bringing water to a rolling boil for one minute will inactivate all major types of harmful bacteria.

    When your boil-water notice is lifted:

    • Flush faucets for a total of 10 minutes to introduce system water throughout house plumbing.
      Example:

      • 1 faucet — run for 10 minutes
      • 2 faucets — run both for 5 minutes
      • 3 faucets — run each for 3-4 minutes

      Flush any faucet a minimum of 2 minutes to ensure clearing of the line serving the faucet.

    • Discard any drinks, ice, food, etc, made during the boil water notice.
    • Rewash any food or drink contact items (knives, forks, plates, etc.) with “cleared” system water.
    • Check water filters (in faucets, refrigerators and elsewhere) and replace if necessary.
    • Do not use water from your hot water heater for drinking until several exchanges of the tank have occurred.
    • Run dishwasher through a cycle or two before washing dishes.

     

  • Mississippi Fire Marshal Offers $5,000 Reward For Info On Fires

    Mississippi Fire Marshal Offers $5,000 Reward For Info On Fires

    Eight suspicious fires have been reported over the last year in the Northwest part of Lauderdale County

    MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — The State Fire Marshal’s office is offering a $5,000 reward for information on a rash of fires in rural Lauderdale County.

    Sheriff Billy Sollie told The Meridian Star that eight suspicious fires have been reported over the last year in the Northwest part of the county. The buildings were abandoned when the fires occurred, and no injuries were reported, he said.

    The latest fire was Monday night and destroyed the old Martin school and store near Collinsville Martin Road and Newton Martin Road. Sollie said investigators are looking for someone who was in the area from dusk to 7 p.m. on Monday, shortly before the fire was reported.

    Volunteers firefighters from Bailey, Collinsville, Suqualena, Dufee and Beulah Hubbard fire departments helped in putting out the fire. Water tanks were brought in from the Sam Dale and Toomsuba stations.

    Martin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Pogue said the department responded to another fire a few months ago at another abandoned building.

    Sollie said anyone with information about the fires should call East Mississippi Crimestoppers at 1-855-485-TIPS or the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department at 601-482-9806.

  • US Marshals Arrest Mississippi Fugitive Who Faked His Own Death

    US Marshals Arrest Mississippi Fugitive Who Faked His Own Death

    The suspect is awaiting extradition to Mississippi

    ANTLERS, Okla. (AP) — Less than 24 hours after he was added to the U.S. Marshal’s most wanted list, a Mississippi man who faked his death to avoid going to prison for child sex crimes was in custody, authorities said.

    The U.S. Marshal’s Office, in a news release Thursday, said Jacob Blair Scott, 43, was arrested around midnight Wednesday. Authorities said he was located at an RV park in Antlers, Oklahoma.

    “Within hours of our announcement and our plea to the public for information, a tipster called the Pushamataha Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma and said a man fitting the description of Jacob Scott was staying in an RV park,” said Inspector Jeremy Stilwell, the lead investigator on the case for the U.S. Marshals. “After sheriff’s deputies looked up Scott’s information, they saw he was wanted by the Marshals and immediately relayed the tip to us. We then worked with the local authorities to develop a plan for his arrest.”

    Scott is currently being held at the Pittsburg County jail in Oklahoma awaiting extradition to Mississippi where he faces a 14-count indictment charging him with sexual battery, touching a child for lustful purposes and exploitation of a child.

    “They (authorities) let me know early, early that they caught him,” the mother of the child victim told the Sun Herald Thursday. “They said he was living in a camper. We are happy. We are very happy and my daughter just cried. She feels safe now.”

    Scott had not been seen since the end of July, just days before he was set to plead guilty in Mississippi to the charges.

    U.S. Marshals with the Eastern District of Oklahoma and Pushamataha Sheriff’s deputies descended upon the RV park early Wednesday and located the camper Scott was allegedly living in. After several call outs, Scott exited, but refused to acknowledge he was the fugitive. He finally admitted to his identity after authorities verified his tattoos. He was then taken into custody.

    “This all-out media blitz led to a critical citizen tip that ultimately resulted in the fastest apprehension of a fugitive in the 37-year history of the 15 Most Wanted program,” said U.S. Marshals Assistant Director for Investigative Operations Jeff Tyler.

    Alabama authorities said early-on they felt Scott had faked his own death when they found his abandoned dinghy about a mile offshore in Orange Beach on July 30, 2018. In it, they found what appeared to be a suicide note, a handgun tied to a rope and a very small amount of blood. His pickup truck was in a nearby parking lot. A weeklong search of the Gulf of Mexico failed to produce Scott’s body, authorities said.

    After further investigation, authorities learned Scott had withdrawn $45,000 from his retirement account shortly before his disappearance.

    The child’s mother said she and her daughter suspected Scott faked his own death because he had told them he would never go to prison for his crimes.

    “We knew the whole time that he was alive and everybody tried to say he was dead and we kept telling them he was alive,” the mother said. “All of this pretty much ruined our whole life. It has caused so much stress and heartache.”

    Authorities said the investigation is ongoing to determine if anyone aided Scott in his attempt to fake his own death and avoid capture.

    “We are going to follow every trail we can,” Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said Thursday. “If there are some other people involved and we can make a case, we are going to pursue it.”

    Scott is an Army veteran who received the Purple Heart as a result of injuries he suffered during his deployment in Iraq. He had entered into a plea deal with Jackson County prosecutors when he convinced Judge Kathy King Jackson to push his plea date back to give him time to have surgery. His family said he never had the surgery.

    Scott’s arrest came after the announcement of a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest was featured Wednesday on Investigation Discovery’s “In-Pursuit with John Walsh.”

  • UN agency declares global emergency over virus from China

    UN agency declares global emergency over virus from China

    BEIJING (AP) — The World Health Organization declared the outbreak sparked by a new virus in China that has been exported to more than a dozen countries as a global emergency Thursday after the number of cases spiked tenfold in a week.

    The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.

    China first informed WHO about cases of the new virus in late December. To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases, as scientists race to understand how exactly the virus is spreading and how severe it is.

    Experts say there is significant evidence the virus is spreading g among people in China and have noted with concern several instances in other countries – including the United States, France, Japan, Germany, Canada and Vietnam – where there have also been isolated cases of human-to-human transmission.

    The case in France is a doctor who was in contact with a patient with the new virus and later became infected himself. The doctor is now being treated in an isolated room at a Paris hospital. Outbreak specialists worry that the spread of new viruses from patients to health workers can signal the virus is becoming adapted to human transmission.

    A declaration of a global emergency typically brings greater money and resources, but may also prompt nervous governments to restrict travel and trade to affected countries. The announcement also imposes more disease reporting requirements on countries.

    On Thursday, China raised the death toll to 170 and more countries reported infections, including some spread locally, as foreign evacuees from China’s worst-hit region returned home to medical tests and even isolation.

    Russia announced it was closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against a new viral outbreak. It had been de facto closed because of the Lunar New Year holiday, but Russian authorities said the closure would be extended until March 1.

    Train traffic between the countries was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing, but air traffic between the two countries continued, at least for now. Russia has not confirmed any cases of the virus.

    Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. The man in the U.S. is married to a 60-year-old Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city that is the epicenter of the outbreak.

    There have been cases reported of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere. The case in South Korea was a 56-year-old man who had contact with a patient who was diagnosed with the new virus earlier.

    The new virus has now infected more people in China than were sickened there during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, a cousin of the new virus.

    The latest figures for mainland China show an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases for a total of 7,736 confirmed cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and one was in the southwestern province of Sichuan. Outside China, there are 82 infections in 18 countries, according to WHO.

    China extended its Lunar New Year holiday to Sunday to try to keep people home, but the wave of returning travelers could potentially cause the virus to spread further.

    Transport ministry spokesman Wu Chungeng outlined a series of rigorous temperature checks and other “severe measures” to detect possibly infectious passengers. Transport restrictions such as those isolating Wuhan and suspending inter-provincial bus services would remain in place, Wu said.

    “It’s definitely very challenging, but we’re confident we can exert effective control,” Wu told reporters at the briefing.

    To date, about 99% of the cases are in China. Ryan estimated the death rate of the new virus at 2%, but said the figure was very preliminary. With fluctuating numbers of cases and deaths, scientists are only able to produce a rough estimate of the fatality rate and it’s likely many milder cases of the virus are being missed.

    In comparison, the SARS virus killed about 10% of people who caught it. The new virus is from the coronavirus family, which includes those that can cause the common cold as well as more serious illnesses such as SARS and MERS.

    Chinese authorities have demanded anyone who traveled from or through Wuhan report to health authorities and self-quarantine themselves for 14 days, the maximum incubation period during which patients can be infectious even if they don’t show symptoms.

    China has been largely praised for a swift and effective response to the outbreak, although questions have been raised about the police suppression of what were early on considered mere rumors — a reflection of the one-party Communist state’s determination to maintain a monopoly on information in spite of smart phones and social media.

    That stands in stark contrast to the initial response to SARS, when medical reports were hidden as state secrets. The delayed response was blamed for allowing the disease to spread worldwide, killing around 800 people.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Maria Cheng in London, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

  • Powerball And Mega Millions Lottery Tickets Now Available In Mississippi

    Powerball And Mega Millions Lottery Tickets Now Available In Mississippi

    1,500 vendors across the state will begin selling the lottery tickets today.

    No more driving to Louisiana to buy your Powerball and Mega Millions lottery tickets! Scratch-off lottery tickets went on sale in Mississippi this past November, but it took a few months for the Mississippi Lottery Corporation to incorporate the multi-state games into their system.

    So, are you feeling lucky?

    Click here to find a Mississippi lottery retailer near you.

     

     

  • Louisiana State Police Search For Missing Mom And Four Children

    Louisiana State Police Search For Missing Mom And Four Children

    The Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office Needs Your Help

    The Louisiana State Police has issued a Level II Endangered/Missing Children, Welfare Concern Media Advisory on behalf of the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office.  They need assistance in locating four children, as well as their mother, 33-year-old Amanda Morgan of Chatham.

    The children, 11-year-old Allison Morgan, 9-year-old Brayden Morgan, 8-year-old Autumn Morgan, and 4-year-old Adalynn Morgan, were last seen with their mother in a blue 2015 Ford F-150.  The Ford was last seen displaying Texas license plate HFM2002.  There is a high probability that 25-year-old Tyler Heard will be with Morgan and her children.  The vehicle is registered to both Amanda Morgan and Russell Morgan.

    The family is concerned about the mental status of Amanda Morgan and the safety of the children, while in her care.  They believe she may be traveling to Alabama, where family is located.

    Anyone having any information as to the whereabouts of the children, or Amanda Morgan, should immediately contact the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-259-9021 or dial 911.  This is not an AMBER Alert.  All questions should be directed to the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

  • Ex-NBA star Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash

    Ex-NBA star Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kobe Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. He was 41.

    Bryant died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. It was unclear if family members were on the helicopter. The crash happened around 10 a.m. near about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

    Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said it was a Sikorsky S-76 and it was not known what caused the crash.

    Bryant retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, finishing two decades with the Lakers as a prolific scorer with a sublime all-around game and a relentless competitive ethic. He held that spot in the league scoring ranks until Saturday night, when the Lakers’ LeBron James passed him for third place during a game in Philadelphia, Bryant’s hometown.

    “Continuing to move the game forward (at)KingJames,” Bryant wrote in his last tweet. “Much respect my brother.”

    Bryant had one of the greatest careers in recent NBA history and became one of the game’s most popular players as the face of the 16-time NBA champion Lakers franchise. He was the league MVP in 2008 and a two-time NBA scoring champion, and he earned 12 selections to the NBA’s All-Defensive teams.

    He teamed with Shaquille O’Neal in a combustible partnership to lead the Lakers to NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He later teamed with Pau Gasol to win two more titles in 2009 and 2010.

    Bryant retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in his final NBA game.

    Bryant looms large over the current generation of NBA players. After James passed Bryant on Saturday, he remembered listening to Bryant when the superstar came to speak at a childhood basketball camp.

    “I remember one thing he said: If you want to be great at it, or want to be one of the greats, you’ve got to put the work in,” James said. “There’s no substitution for work.”

    James later teamed up with Bryant on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in Beijing.

    “He had zero flaws offensively,” James said. “Zero. You backed off of him, he could shoot the 3. You body him up a little bit, he could go around you. He could shoot from mid-range. He could post. He could make free throws. … He was just immortal offensively because of his skill set and his work ethic.”

    Bryant was a basketball superstar for his entire adult life. He entered the NBA draft straight out of high school in 1996 after a childhood spent partly in Italy, where his father, former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, played professionally.

    The Lakers acquired the 17-year-old Bryant in a trade shortly after Charlotte drafted him, and he immediately became one of the most exciting and intriguing players in the sport alongside O’Neal, who had signed with the Lakers as a free agent. Bryant won the Slam Dunk Contest as an upstart rookie, and the Lakers gradually grew into a team that won three consecutive championships.

    Bryant and Gasol formed the nucleus of another championship team in 2008, reaching three straight NBA Finals and eventually winning two more titles.

    In 2003, Bryant was charged with attacking a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort. He had said the two had consensual sex. Prosecutors later dropped the felony sexual assault charge against Bryant at the request of the accuser.

    ___

    AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

  • Hunter Discovers Missing Man’s Bones North Of Winnsboro

    Hunter Discovers Missing Man’s Bones North Of Winnsboro

    Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office Promises To Investigate Any New Leads

    WINNSBORO, La. (AP) — Louisiana authorities have identified skeletal remains found by a hunter in November as those of a man missing since 2012.

    An analysis of the remains matched the DNA of Richland Parish resident Joshua Berry, the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab confirmed to the Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Office this week.

    A man hunting north of Baskin discovered the bones approximately half a mile (kilometer) from where Berry’s truck was found a day after he was reported missing seven years prior, Sheriff Kevin Cobb stated in a news release Thursday.

    The 35-year-old’s car was found abandoned in the woods 13 miles (20.92 kilometers) from his home with the driver’s side doors open, the keys in the ignition and the front seat folded forward, The Monroe News Star reported. His belongings were still inside, the sheriff’s office said at the time.

    His parents have told news outlets they don’t think their son left of his own accord. Authorities didn’t find any apparent signs of foul play in the area.

    The sheriff’s office said Thursday that it will investigate any new leads that may emerge.

  • Mississippi Governor Tours Prison Rocked By Deadly Violence

    Mississippi Governor Tours Prison Rocked By Deadly Violence

    At least 10 inmates have died in Mississippi prisons since late December

     

    By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
    Associated Press
    JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s new governor says he and the interim corrections commissioner toured a troubled state prison to see conditions and to try to understand what led to an outburst of deadly violence in recent weeks.

    Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that he and the commissioner, Tommy Taylor, also toured an empty prison that the state owns. The Republican governor, who took office Jan. 14, said it’s possible that the state could move some inmates into the empty prison in the central Mississippi town of Walnut Grove.

    That prison was previously managed by a private company, and Reeves said it could be again. But he said no plans have been made to move prisoners and no timeline is set.

    “We know that there are problems in the system,” Reeves said. “We don’t want to hide them. We want to fix them.”

    At least 10 inmates have died in Mississippi prisons since late December, most of them in violent confrontations at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman — one of the prisons Reeves and Taylor toured. Prison officials have attributed some of the violence to clashes between gangs.

    Two inmates died by hanging, and prison officials said one of those was alone in a cell with the lock jammed from the inside. A Department of Corrections statement said the other hanging appeared to be a suicide.

    Reeves said the state is taking immediate steps to try to improve living conditions at Parchman, which he described as “terrible.” Multiple health department inspections have shown problems there, such as broken sinks and toilets, holes in cell walls and widespread mold and mildew in showers.

    Reeves said the Walnut Grove prison is newer and more solidly built than some of the buildings at Parchman. For example, the cell walls at Walnut Grove are made of poured concrete while some of the cell walls at Parchman are made of cinder blocks. Reeves said it would be more difficult for inmates to chip holes into the solid concrete walls to hide contraband items.

    Reeves said inmates have found ways to jam the locks on some cells at Parchman, contributing to security problems.

    All wardens and deputy wardens have been put on 12-hour shifts to ensure leaders are always present at Parchman, Reeves said. He said prison guards are being screened for indications that they might be involved in gangs. A Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agent has been assigned to work at Parchman to uncover criminal activity among inmates or employees that might have contributed to the violence, Reeves said.

    Prison officials are evaluating whether some prisoners should be moved to a different level of security — either higher security if they are more of a risk or lower security if they are less of one.

    “A lot of these things will seem like common sense,” Reeves said. “That’s because they are. They’ve been needed for a long time, but we are starting from where we are.”

    Reeves said that during his tour of Parchman, he was near prisoners but did not speak with them. He said he was accompanied by security officers.

    Department of Corrections officials have repeatedly told lawmakers in recent years that prison guards are underpaid and it’s difficult to fill the jobs. They also requested more money to improve some of the buildings at Parchman. Budget writers turned down those requests. Reeves was lieutenant governor the past eight years and was one of the top budget writers.

    Asked Thursday about his role in setting prison budgets, Reeves said he’s not looking back but is focusing on fixing problems going forward.

    “I’ve been appalled by things that I’ve learned in the last week, but proud of the potential that I’ve seen from many of the people working to rebuild,” Reeves said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but I can tell you with confidence that everyone in our administration is taking this very, very seriously. I’m not here to make empty promises. The issues within the department didn’t happen overnight, and they won’t be fixed overnight.”

    ____

    Follow Emily Wagster Pettus on Twitter