FAYETTE — A Natchez woman was arrested in Jefferson County on charges she distributed a libelous letter about the victim of an alleged $100,000-plus embezzlement that recently led to the arrest of two Natchez residents.

Jesse Ann Singleton, 63, 48 Parkway Drive, was arrested on charges of libel, and was later released on a $1,500 bond.

Jefferson County Sheriff Peter Walker said Singleton allegedly left an unaddressed letter at his office that defamed the character of an embezzlement victim in an alleged business scheme by Natchez residents Emily and Merrick Sanders.

Singleton is a relative of the Sanders couple, Walker said.

The letter — which stated that it would be circulated throughout Natchez and Jefferson County — made statements about the personal life of the victim and alleged a version of the events leading up to the filing of criminal charges against the Sanders couple, including that the victim on multiple occasions carried around a briefcase full of cash. The letter claims the embezzlement charges are false and that Walker does not have jurisdiction over the case.

Emily Sanders is the reported president and Merrick Sanders is the reported vice president in a company that allegedly took money from an investor to start a business that never opened. The couple was arrested on embezzlement charges last week. At the time of the arrest, Walker declined to say how much the Sanders are accused of embezzling, but stated that it was in excess of $100,000.

The matter is still under investigation.