JACKSON, Miss. —Allegations related to what happened around a huge alleged embezzlement at a credit union here continue to emerge—including that luxury goods allegedly ordered by the former CEO continued to arrive at the credit union even after it was taken over by NCUA.
The goods were allegedly ordered by former Jackson Area Federal Credit Union CEO Leigh Bridges, who reportedly had luxury goods from some of the world’s most expensive brands shipped directly to her office while she was carrying out what NCUA has alleged was a yearslong scheme that siphoned roughly $95 million from the credit union.
As the CU Daily has been reporting, NCUA sued Bridges and her husband, Chad Bridges, in U.S. District Court alleging they embezzled approximately $94 million from the $142-million Jackson Area Federal Credit Union (JAFCU). The lawsuit has since been amended to add former JAFCU branch manager Tina Funez as a defendant.
Problem Case Officer Cites Problem
According to declarations filed in the case and cited by WLBT, NCUA Problem Case Officer Ethan Meyers said luxury shipments addressed to Leigh Bridges continued arriving at JAFCU’s main office even after federal regulators had taken control of the institution.
“As of the date of signing this declaration, I observed shipments of luxury goods addressed to Leigh Bridges continuing to arrive at JAFCU’s main office twice,” Meyers wrote in a declaration signed May 12 and later made public in court records.
According to WLBT’s review of the filings, Meyers reported that deliveries from luxury brands including Bottega Veneta, Chloe, Dior and Tiffany & Co. arrived at Bridges’ office on May 4 and May 6, 2026.
Meyers also stated that between April 27 and May 1 he observed numerous luxury items inside Bridges’ office, including Gemological Institute of America certificates, an appraisal of diamond earrings from Witherspoon & Pratt Diamonds and Fine Jewelry, a Chloe leather handbag, a Chanel wallet and several empty Bottega Veneta boxes, WLBT reported.
Bridges served as JAFCU’s president and CEO from 2021 until April 17, 2026, after spending roughly three decades with the credit union, including as chief financial officer.
WLBT reported that court records allege Bridges had been transferring money from JAFCU’s ledgers into her personal share account for years.
Corporate America Asked to Investigate
The allegations surfaced after NCUA asked Corporate America Credit Union (CACU) in June 2024 to investigate irregularities at JAFCU, including a $378,780 wire transfer involving Tiffany & Co.
According to WLBT, CACU Chief Strategy Officer Lauren Howle said records supplied by NCUA identified Raymond James as the beneficiary of the transaction, but CACU’s records showed the beneficiary was actually Tiffany & Company U.S. Sales LLC.
“CACU system information confirms that ‘Tiffany & Company U.S. Sales LLC’ was the named beneficiary on the payment order,” Howle wrote, according to the court filings cited by WLBT.
Howle said CACU identified at least 16 unusual wire transfers from JAFCU between May 24, 2021, and June 3, 2024. Investigators also found what they described as unusual checks presented for payment from Bridges’ account between April 2019 and March 2026.
According to WLBT, the largest payments were made to Brooks Collection, a fine jewelry company, and Craig-Wilkinson Inc., a Jackson-based construction firm.
“CACU’s investigation initially identified transactions totaling $22,453,999.67, which were transmitted from Bridges’ account at JAFCU,” Howle wrote.
More Than 50 Questionable Transactions
After NCUA requested additional analysis of two more accounts associated with Bridges, investigators identified another 58 questionable transactions, WLBT reported. Those included 35 payments to American Express between Jan. 1 and July 1, 2024, and nine payments to Raymond James, including one transaction for $325,000 on March 6, 2024.
Court records reviewed by WLBT indicate that more than $51 million in false accounting entries were made to share accounts between 2015 and 2026.
The filings also show that between 2019 and 2026, Chad Bridges received approximately $397,000 in legitimate deposits tied to his salary, while Leigh Bridges received approximately $705,637 in legitimate deposits. Court records indicate Leigh Bridges earned $193,758 in 2025 as JAFCU’s CEO.
Seeking to Freeze Assets
Federal regulators have sought to freeze the defendants’ assets. According to WLBT, NCUA filed a motion for a preliminary injunction June 4, arguing that a temporary restraining order was insufficient because Leigh Bridges had recently deposited $80,000 from the sale of a vehicle into an account at another financial institution.
NCUA argued in court filings that the couple possesses multiple properties, including a beachfront condominium, luxury vehicles, expensive furnishings and large collections of designer handbags and jewelry. The agency also alleged that Leigh Bridges suggested millions of dollars in misappropriated funds may be held in personal accounts outside JAFCU.
Property records cited by WLBT indicate the couple owns homes on Sleepy Hollow Drive and Eastbrooke Place in Jackson. Court documents state that Funez rented the Eastbrooke property from the Bridges.
“Because the millions of dollars in accounts and millions of dollars in property are likely held in a constructive trust for the benefit of JAFCU, but may be easily transferred or dissipated, the NCUA Board is requesting an injunction,” the agency wrote in filings quoted by WLBT.
The credit union has been placed into federal receivership, and regulators have established a line of credit to support its operations.
Friendship, Credit Cards and Luxury Purchases
WLBT separately reported that Funez, the third defendant added to the lawsuit in June, told investigators she was Leigh Bridges’ “best friend” and had been given access to an American Express card linked to Bridges’ account for roughly a decade.
According to court filings cited by WLBT, Funez charged more than $456,000 on the card between 2022 and 2025.
NCUA Senior Trial Attorney Bruce Hegyi wrote that Funez confirmed the charges were paid entirely by Bridges and that she never reimbursed her friend.
“Ms. Funez reaffirmed that Mrs. Funez’s charges … were solely and fully paid by Ms. Bridges; and that Ms. Funez had not reimbursed Ms. Bridges for any of the charges,” Hegyi wrote, according to WLBT.
As the CU Daily reported earlier, the filings further allege that Bridges gave Funez between 30 and 40 handbags and multiple pieces of luxury jewelry.
Met at Fan Club
Funez told investigators she first met Bridges at a fan club event in Los Angeles in the early 2000s and later moved to Mississippi after being invited by Leigh and Chad Bridges, according to WLBT.
Court records cited by the news outlet state that Funez lived in a cottage owned by the Bridges and rented a home from them beginning in 2019.
According to Hegyi’s declaration, Funez also told investigators that Bridges funded luxury vacations for the two women and helped her purchase her grandfather’s home in Utila, Honduras.
WLBT reported that Funez identified a wire transfer used to purchase the Honduras property and approximately 16 separate JAFCU wire transfers of $9,500 each that were allegedly sent to a Honduran contractor for renovation work.
“Ms. Funez identified a wire transfer and said it was for the purchase of the Utila dwelling,” Hegyi wrote. “She also identifie[d] a series of approximately 16 selected JAFCU wire transfers each in the amount of $9,500 to a Honduran contractor.”
According to WLBT, Funez told investigators she did not know the source of the money used for those transactions and never asked.
None of the defendants have been criminally charged. The NCUA’s lawsuit remains pending in federal court.
