State Auditor Stacey Pickering says his office has recovered $556,804 from a beef plant debacle that cost taxpayers millions.

The Mississippi Beef Processors LLC closed three months after it opened in 2004, sticking taxpayers with $55 million in state-backed loans.

Pickering says some of the money he recovered came from the Facility Management Group, a Georgia company that oversaw construction.

Money also came from three men convicted for their parts in the failed project.

Several people have pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the plant, including its president, Richard Hall.

Others convicted in the case include a contractor and refrigeration salesman.