A former acting sheriff in Mississippi's largest county has been indicted on federal charges of soliciting bribes and providing ammunition to a convicted felon.

Marshand Crisler, 54, of Jackson, who was interim sheriff of Hinds County for part of 2021 and is running for a full term this year, pleaded not guilty Thursday during an appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in Jackson.

Crisler is charged with soliciting and accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for agreeing to provide information about criminal investigations to an unidentified person who paid the bribes, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office and the FBI.

Crisler allegedly agreed to protect a jailed relative of that person and to give them a job with the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department.

The release also said Crisler gave ammunition to a person he knew to be a convicted felon.

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Crisler’s attorney, John Colette, said outside the federal courthouse that he has known Crisler for a while and is surprised by the allegations, according to local news outlets.

"Saying something and proving something are two different things," Collette said.

Crisler is a former Jackson City Council member and was named acting sheriff after the death of Sheriff Lee Vance.

Crisler ran in a 2021 special election to fill the final two years of Vance's four-year term but lost to Tyree Jones. He is challenging Jones again in this year’s Democratic primary and told reporters outside the courthouse that he intends to remain in the race.