Thread by @ashtonpittman

NEW: The Mississippi State Auditor is demanding that Brett Favre return $828,000 he received in "illegally spent welfare funds" that should have gone to needy families.

But Favre is not among the six facing criminal charges for the scheme.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Brett Favre received $1.1 million in Temporary Assistance For Needy Families funds from two non-profits whose owners have since been indicted on state and federal charges for their alleged role in the largest embezzlement scheme in state history.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

This afternoon, Mississippi Today’s Anna Wolf reported that White's letter to Favre said the NFL quarterback "knew or had reason to know through the exercise of reasonable diligence that the expenditures were illegal and/or the dispositions were unlawful.”mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

State Auditor Shad White said that, after Brett Favre accepted $1.1 million in "illegally spent welfare funds" for speaking engagements, he never followed through on the speaking engagements.

Favre said he didn't know the money was illegally obtained.mississippitoday.org/2021/10/12/bre…

Others who received letters from the auditor today include former WWE wrestler Ted Dibiase, Jr., known as “The Million Dollar Man,” who White said owes more than $4.6 million and his son, WWE wrestler Brett Dibiase, who White said owes $225,950.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Auditor White also issued a demand to former Mississippi DHS Director John Davis for $96.3 million, including interest, “for his role authorizing over $77 million in illegal TANF spending.”

Former Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Davis to DHS.
mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Nancy New, a wealthy GOP donor who operated private schools and a non-profit in Mississippi, faces state and federal embezzlement charges.

She owned the non-profits from which the illegal funds flowed.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant had close ties to Nancy New and he celebrated the launch of Families First For Mississippi, one of the non-profits at the center of the DHS scandal, with her in 2016.

He's seen here with New and ex-DHS head John Davis.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

The News have given thousands to GOP campaigns in Mississippi, including to current Gov. Tate Reeves.

In 2019, Reeves campaign filmed a campaign ad at the News’ private school in Jackson, New Summit, touting his support for public education.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Nancy New's private schools have been among the top recipients of legal public education funds under a private school voucher program that Tate Reeves, as lieutenant governor and Senate president, helped create and which then-Gov. Bryant signed into law.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

In March, federal prosecutors indicted the News on additional charges, alleging that Nancy and Zachary New “conspired” to “fraudulently” obtain more than $2 million in public education funds and used it to pay for teachers’ salaries at their private school.mississippifreepress.org/10337/donors-t…

Neither White nor prosecutors have alleged that the current or former governor were involved in the DHS scheme.

Nancy New, Zach New and John Davis have all pleaded not guilty to charges related to the $77 million in allegedly embezzled TANF funds.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

On Monday, Ann McGrew, Nancy New’s former accountant at one of the nonprofits involved in the DHS scheme, pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal.

She will provide testimony against others involved in the scheme, including her former employer, Nancy New.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Wrestler Brett DiBiase accepted a plea agreement last year and prosecutors dropped a conspiracy charge against him in exchange for his becoming a witness in the case.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Like several others who received demand letters, Favre hasn't been accused of a crime. The auditor noted today that the demands “are civil in nature, not criminal” and it's up to AG Lynn Fitch to enforce them in court if funds aren't repaid in 30 days.mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Auditor White: “These demands serve as the next step in the recovery process. If there is more money that the Attorney General believes has been misspent than what we have identified in these demands, we stand ready to help... . More demands are possible.”mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

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Here's the pro-public education campaign ad touting his support for public school teachers that Tate Reeves, as a candidate for governor, filmed at Nancy New's private school in 2019.

Vid courtesy @jallen1985.

In 2019, Gov. Tate Reeves' Democratic opponent, Jim Hood, criticized his ties to Nancy New.

Hood: "He gets $5,000 from that school. Public schools can't give campaign contributions. ... Everything is transactional with him."

Reeves beat Hood 52%-47%.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2019/oct/…

While figures in the TANF welfare fraud scandal are Republicans or GOP donors, it's important to note that the auditor who pursued this case, @shadwhite, is also a Republican.

Bryant appointed him to fill a vacancy in 2018. White won election in 2019.wtok.com/content/news/B…

Auditor Shad White also pursued a case against a Democratic mayor who solicited donations to support mental health for kids in local schools, but instead used the money to purchase of a car, a purebred dog and personal debts.

That mayor resigned.mississippifreepress.org/9644/moss-poin…

Auditor White has received bipartisan applause for his handling of GOP and Democratic corruption cases.

But he's faced criticism, too, for using his office to investigate an @OleMiss professor who took part in an anti-racist scholar strike last year.mississippifreepress.org/5809/recycled-…

It is unclear why Brett Favre has only returned a portion of the $1.1 million in TANF funds since the DHS scandal broke in early 2020.

His net worth is $100 million.

He's active in politics. He endorsed Tate Reeves for governor in 2019 and Trump in 2020.
mississippifreepress.org/16910/auditor-…

Anna Wolfe*

Apologies for the misspelling!

The link to her story is in this tweet, btw:

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1448103723604103172

Correction:
-"Million Dollar Man" WWE wrestler Ted Dibiase, Sr. must pay back $723k that his Christian ministry received
-His son, ex-WWE wrestler Ted DiBiase, Jr., owes $3.9 million
-His other WWE wrestler son, Brett DiBiase, owes $225,950

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1448103966483562499?s=20

Correction to this tweet:

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1448149209836920835

Speaking of political connection, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith once filmed a promo spot for Families First For Mississippi—one of Nancy New's two non-profits through which prosecutors says TANF funds were funneled from DHS to the likes of Favre and DiBiase.

h/t: @jallen1985

Important point: Gov. Reeves did renounce the News and return their donations after the scandal broke.

https://twitter.com/ashtonpittman/status/1448108302538260485

I get the sense that a lot of people think this is new news. But y'all, this story and Brett Favre's role in it broke BEFORE the pandemic hit in early 2020.

My first report on the DHS/TANF scandal was for @jxnfreepress on Feb. 7, 2020.
jacksonfreepress.com/news/2020/feb/…

Now trending: Brett Favre.

Background from @ayewolfe, who has been reporting on this since early 2020:

"Ex-Gov. Phil Bryant had talks with Brett Favre about a drug company ensnared in what the state auditor would call the largest public embezzlement scheme in state history."
mississippitoday.org/2020/03/05/the…

Quick correction here: Nancy New is the owner of a private school, but nonprofits do not have owners. She was the founder of the non-profits mentioned in the story and served as their director.

There's also the related saga of Brett Favre and former Gov. Phil Bryant's ties to a Florida pharmaceutical company involved in concussion drugs that received $2 million in Mississippi welfare funds, as reported by @GBolognaCL and @lramseth: clarionledger.com/story/news/pol…