In the shocking fraud

In 2020, Brett Favre was in the center of Mississippi's welfare scandal.

The fraud was made headlines when several Mississippi government employees were accused of embezzlement. The program, which became the largest public fraud in the history of the state, was unused from a program after at least 77 million dollars that helps poor families.

“The funds that are illegally preserved in this case should help the poorest among us” The New York Times. “Instead, the funds were taken over by a group of influential people to their own advantage and the system is massive. It ends today.”

The name of Favre was created, while the authorities examined where the money was redirected. In May 2020, a state audit showed that the Hall of Famer was paid 1.1 million US dollars for speech events in which it was not present. Favre was also accused of working with state officials to redirect 5 million US dollars for the construction of a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, his Alma Mater and the school in which his daughter played the sport.

The former Green Bay Packer athlete was never arrested or charged with a crime, but he had to repay the state for the 1.1 million US dollars in unattended speech event fees. He has refused any participation in the fraud or any knowledge of where the money came from for the volleyball stadium, although the prosecutors suggested that text messages between Favre and a non -profit director prove that the former NFL star was aware of the program.

The story of Favre with the scandal was examined in the Netflix documentary Untold: The case of Favrewhich was premiered on May 20.

Here is everything you need to know about the Mississippi welfare scandal and what happened to Brett Favre after it has become a key figure in this case.

What is the Mississippi welfare scandal?

Mississippi's welfare scandal is the largest case of public fraud in the history of state history.

The program took place from 2016 to 2019 when 77 million US dollars from the temporary support for needy families (TANF) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) were abused and were used for projects that had not been dealing with the support of Mississippi families.

The scandal included several top -class state officials submitted in a lawsuit by the Mississippi state's auditor. The former official of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, John Davis, was at the center of the program and finally owed to commit a conspiracy to commit cable fraud and commit the theft in relation to programs, and a number of theft in relation to programs that receive programs according to a press release from the U.S. Ministry of Justice.

Davis was accused of having abused the funds because of its “personal use and benefits”. In September 2022, according to PBS, he was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

The former head of the Mississippi Community Education Center, Nancy New, also said to be guilty, fraud, bribery of an official and blackmail. Nancy and her son Zachary, who also guilty of fraud and bribery, led a non -profit organization that received more than 2 million dollars from state financing and used the money for their private life. The mother-son duo accepted both plea deals that would ensure that they only condemned the time from the federal case, see Mississippi today.

In addition to Davis and the news, five other people were charged with the program.

The former professional wrestler Brett Dibiase was one of the main actors arrested in 2020. He was accused of fraud and embezzlement Mississippi today. In March 2023, Dibiase owed himself guilty to cheat on the United States' conspiracy. He was able to have up to five years in prison, but he was not convicted.

From September 2023, all seven criminals remained out of prison in this case, since the federal dispute lasted Mississippi today.

How was Favre supposedly involved?

In May 2020 it was announced that 5 million US dollar Tanf funds were used to build a volleyball arena at Favre's Alma Mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter also played the sport.

In 2022, a text message between Favre and newly five years earlier became public. In the text 2017, Favre asked New: “If you should pay me, the media can even find out where it comes from and how much?”

Favre contested all misconduct and said that he didn't know where the government money came from.

“I was wrongly smeared in the media. I didn't do anything wrong and it has passed that I could make the record clear,” he said in an explanation of 2022 via FOX news. “Nobody ever told me, and I didn't know that the funds named for welfare recipients went to the university or me.”

In addition to the volleyball stadium, Favre was also mentioned in the program for two more million dollars. The state examiners claimed that 1.7 million US dollars from Tanf were developing a company in a company supported by Favre, in accordance with NBC News. Favre was also accused of receiving 1.1 million US dollars for speeches that he did not think. He denied all allegations.

In September 2024, Favre testified in front of the Committee of the House Ways and Means Committee to use additional options for protecting TANF funds.

“Instead, I am here to share what I have now seen up close, how reforms are necessary to stop the case law of TANF funds,” he said at the time.

Although he was there to concentrate on additional guardrails, Favre also revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Was Favre charged with a crime?

Favre was never arrested or accused of Mississippi's welfare scandal.

In May 2022, however, the Auditor of the State Mississippi Favre named one of the accused in a civil lawsuit that was submitted to regain the defamed funds. Shortly afterwards, the Favre legal team submitted an application to dismiss the lawsuit and claimed that the lawsuit had tried to use its status as a “national celebrity” in order to “distract” the government's responsibility according to CNN.

In April 2023, a judge rejected the dismissal and decided that Favre would continue as one of the accused. His spokesman later said that Favre was “disappointed in the court's decision”, loud The Washington Post. Just a month later, a local judge submitted a GAG arrangement and demanded that all parties do not talk about the case according to court proceedings, so The Magnolia Tribune.

From July 2024, a negotiation date for the civil lawsuit was not determined The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Favre also submitted a defamation against the state auditor White, for statements that he surrounded the case, according to Associated Press.

Did Brett Favre repaid money from the government?

Shortly after the misused funds had come to light, Favre paid back the 1.1 million US dollars he had allegedly received for the speech events in which he did not take part in accordance with AP. In May 2020, he paid 500,000 US dollars and the remaining $ 600,000 in October 2021.

However, the state examiner claimed that Favre had never paid interest and sued him in 2024 due to unpaid 729,000 US dollars, so Forbes.

Mississippi's public prosecutors have also never been invested in the 1.7 million US dollar or the 5 million US dollars that were allegedly handed over to the Volleyball Stadium of the University of Southern Mississippi. The guard.