OCEAN SPRINGS, MS (GC Wire) – Traffic enforcement programs tied to former Ocean Springs City Attorney Robert Wilkinson and former Ocean Springs Police Chief Mark Dunston promised money to the State of Mississippi in multiple cities.
According to the State, that money never arrived.
Public records obtained by GC Wire show that the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS) says it has received no payments from either the Securix program in Biloxi or the Intellisafe program in Hattiesburg, despite contracts requiring a portion of collected funds to be remitted to the agency.
The programs operated under different company names and different payment structures. But in both cases, the outcome appears the same:
Money was collected from drivers.
The State says it received nothing.
And no one involved in the programs has publicly identified who was responsible for making sure DPS got paid.
Meanwhile, Ocean Springs continues to hold nearly half a million dollars generated through its own Securix uninsured motorist program while legal questions surrounding the funds remain unresolved.
Two Cities, Same Problem
The Biloxi program operated through Securix Mississippi LLC, an entity partially owned by QJR, a company associated with Wilkinson and his two partners from Frontier Strategies, Josh Gregory and Quinton Dickerson.
The program used cameras to identify uninsured motorists and issue citations through the mail.
The Hattiesburg program operated through Intellisafe, a similar company that issues traffic tickets through the mail for alleged speeders. Records show Intellisafe was founded by Robert Wilkinson.
Former Ocean Springs Police Chief Mark Dunston signed the Hattiesburg agreement as a “partner.”
Both programs involved uninsured motorist or traffic-related enforcement systems operating alongside local governments and collecting payments through diversion-style agreements outside traditional court proceedings.
Contracts Required Payments to DPS
The Biloxi agreement required that 23.810% of collected funds be distributed to DPS.
The Hattiesburg agreement used a different structure, requiring a flat $25 payment to DPS for every paid citation.
GC Wire submitted separate public records requests to DPS seeking deposit records, accounting records, remittance summaries, or any proof the agency received its contractual share from either program.
DPS reported no payments in either case.
Regarding Biloxi, DPS stated:
“The Mississippi Department of Public Safety has not received any payments regarding this matter.”
Regarding Hattiesburg, DPS later responded:
“After a diligent search, we could locate no records responsive to your request where the Mississippi Department of Public Safety has received payments.”
Cities Respond, But Don’t Answer the Central Question
When asked about the discrepancy, Biloxi officials confirmed the City received money from the program but denied responsibility for paying DPS.
“The City of Biloxi had an agreement with Securix. The City received money from Securix and was not responsible for paying DPS,” Biloxi Public Affairs Manager Cecilia Dobbs Walton said, citing the city attorney.
The City did not identify who was responsible for ensuring the State received its contractual share.
Hattiesburg officials declined to answer similar questions.
“Unfortunately, due to pending litigation, the City of Hattiesburg is unable to comment at this time,” attorney R. Lane Dossett said on behalf of the City.
The City did not dispute DPS’s statement that it received no payments under the program.
‘They Handled Mississippi’
GC Wire also reached out directly to Wilkinson regarding the handling and distribution of funds tied to the Mississippi programs. He did not respond.
However, Jonathon Miller, Chairman of Securix LLC, who was previously involved in a business relationship connected to Securix Mississippi LLC, told GC Wire that Wilkinson and Gregory handled operations in Mississippi and that he also has questions regarding the money tied to the programs.
“These are the same questions we have had for some time,” Miller said.
“Where is the money? Josh Gregory ran all operations for Securix Mississippi with Wilkinson and Wilkinson’s son. If anyone knows, it’s them,” he added.
The unresolved questions surrounding Biloxi and Hattiesburg are now drawing renewed attention back to Ocean Springs, where the model first gained traction.
Ocean Springs Was the Blueprint
The controversy surrounding these programs did not begin in Biloxi or Hattiesburg.
Ocean Springs previously operated its own Securix uninsured motorist enforcement program between 2022 and 2023.
The program generated widespread complaints from residents who reported receiving notices despite having valid insurance coverage. Later investigations revealed police officers issuing the citations were paid directly by a private company, not the city. And, in some cases, investigations revealed citations were issued by civilians posing as sworn police officers.
The operation was locally managed by Wilkinson, his son Alexander Wilkinson, and Gregory. At the time, Wilkinson also served as City Attorney for Ocean Springs, but claims he recused himself from providing legal advice on the program.
According to City officials, Ocean Springs never spent the money generated through the program.
Instead, former Alderman Rickey Authement previously stated the funds were allegedly set aside “just in case,” as legal concerns surrounding the system continued to grow.
Last year, Ocean Springs City Attorney David Harris filed an interpleader action in federal court tied to litigation involving Securix LLC, asking the court to determine what should be done with nearly half a million dollars the City had retained from the program.
The federal judge denied the interpleader request.
The money remains in Ocean Springs’ possession.
One City official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told GC Wire that Harris later expressed hope the statute of limitations would expire before those who paid into the program pursued legal action against the City.
Harris has not publicly made such comments.
Residents Asked What They Think
The controversy has also sparked growing discussion among Ocean Springs residents over what should happen to the nearly half million dollars the City continues to hold from the original Securix program.
GC Wire asked readers on social media what the City should do with the money.
Many residents said the funds should be returned to the people who paid into the program.
“The fact that there is a debate confuses me. Just give it back to the folks you took it from,” resident Larry Goodwin wrote.
Others went further, describing the money as improperly obtained and questioning whether the City should retain it at all.
“That money was functionally STOLEN. Restitution should be made to those who were wronged. At the least, they should get their money back,” resident Lee Benson commented.
“Stolen property MUST be returned to the rightful owners,” resident Irwin Maneway wrote.
“It was taken illegally so give it back,” Dee Sumpter commented.
Some residents directly accused the program itself of unfairly targeting insured drivers.
“They definitely need to give it back to the ones that were scammed out of it,” Dawn Herndon wrote. “It’s not theirs to do with as they please. It’s money stolen from unsuspecting people.”
“Pay it back in full quickly,” resident Ed Wesson wrote.
Not all residents agreed the money should be refunded directly.
Some argued the funds should instead be redirected toward long-standing infrastructure issues within the city.
“Fix all the sewage problems they have,” Kim C. Knobloch-Taylor wrote. “Maybe then it wouldn’t be going into our ocean.”
The Unanswered Question
At this point, the issue is no longer whether these programs generated money.
They did.
The issue is that contracts in multiple Mississippi cities promised a share of those funds to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
According to the State, that money never arrived.
Ocean Springs still holds nearly half a million dollars tied to its original Securix program. Biloxi says paying DPS was not its responsibility. Hattiesburg refuses to comment because of pending litigation.
And across multiple cities tied to the same Ocean Springs-connected network, no one has publicly explained who was responsible for making sure the State got paid.
