The Mississippi Department of Human Services has sued Brett Favre, a retired NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, and dozens of other people or companies, for misspending welfare money worth millions that aimed to assist the poorest state in the country.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Hinds County Circuit Court, aims to recover roughly $24 million in cash that it claims the defendants "squandered" from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families anti-poverty program. The one who wrote the lawsuit, attorney Brad Pigott, said that he did not understand the suspects.
Misspending of Welfare Funds
He questioned what kind of people would decide that money the law required to be spent to help the poorest people in the poorest state would be better used inside their pockets. Officials filed the lawsuit weeks after the mother and son duo of 69-year-old Nancy New and 39-year-old Zachary New, pleaded guilty to state criminal charges over the misspending.
The two agreed to testify against other people or companies involved in the corruption case that auditor Shad White said was the state's largest in the last two decades. The mother and son allegedly ran a non-profit group and education company in the state that received tens of millions of dollars, as per Fox News.
The lawsuit began roughly three years ago and targets Favre, former running back Marcus Dupree, former linebacker Paul Lacoste, retired WWE wrestler Ted "The Million Dollar Man" DiBiase Sr., and his two sons among others.
It details the bold disregard from officials and contractors for either effective public spending or for the people they were supposed to be assisting. The actions are indicative of a state government with a cynical approach to anti-poverty programs.
However, according to Mississippi Today, two entities who received welfare funds through activities referenced in recent criminal pleas, the University of Southern Miss Athletic Foundation and tech company Lobaki Inc., did not appear as defendants in the May 9 filing.
Involved High-Profile Individuals
The New mother and son duo, the former Mississippi Department of Human Services executive director John Davis, and three other people were charged in early 2020 in state court. Prosecutors said welfare money had been misspent on items such as drug rehabilitation in Malibu, California, for former pro wrestler Brett DiBiase.
DiBiase Sr. is a Christian evangelist and a motivational speaker who ran Heart of David Ministries Inc. It received $1.7 million in welfare grant money in 2017 and 2018 for mentorship, marketing, and other services.
Last year, White demanded repayment of $77 million of misspent welfare funds from several people and groups, including $1.1 million paid to Favre. At the time, the former quarterback was not charged with any criminal wrongdoing.
White said that money was used to pay Favre for speeches but the Hall of Famer did not show up to the events. Since then, the former quarterback has repaid the money but White said in October that there was still $228,000 owed as interest. Favre said in a Facebook post that he did not know the money he received came from welfare funds, ESPN reported.
Related Article:
