Agents also arrested DHS employee Latimer Smith; Dr. Nancy New, owner and director of the Mississippi Community Education Center and New Learning; Zach New, assistant executive director of MCEC; Anne McGrew, accountant for MCEC; and former pro wrestler Brett DiBiase in connection with the multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme. In 2020, officials said the loss exceeds any embezzlement scheme in the records of the Auditors office., You stuck your neck out for me: Brett Favre used fame and favors to pull welfare dollars (Mississippi Today), Phil Bryant had his sights on a payout as welfare funds flowed to Brett Favre (Mississippi Today), 8 revelations from Part 1 of The Backchannel investigation (Mississippi Today), This is a BETA experience. So,there was nothing illegal about those transfers, only how it was spent after that. Reginald Johnson had been with MDHS since 2007. Everything was going well. Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the latest updates on the Mississippi welfare scandal. Among other things, it is charged that state money was diverted to pay for drug rehabilitation treatment for former wrestler DiBiase at an exclusive drug rehab clinic in Malibu, California. Davis and Smith created documents and arranged payment knowing DiBiase was not performing the work he was hired to perform, White said. The scheme came [] Five plead not guilty in MDHS embezzlement scheme - Vicksburg Daily News Nancy New and her son are also accused of transferring millions in TANF funds to their private businesses, White said. I dont care how politically connected a person may be. Although the total amount of money embezzled has not been determined, Auditor White characterized it as the largest public embezzlement case in state history.. Favre declined to be interviewed by Mississippi Today and could not be reached for comment by Forbes, and in 2020 tweeted that he love[s] Mississippi and I would never knowingly do anything to take away from those that need it most., Hey brother [his wife] Deanna and [I] still owe 1.1 million on Vball, Favre purportedly texted John Davis, the former head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, according to Mississippi Today. I dont care how politically connected a person may be, Mr. White said. A phone number for Ms. McGrew was busy. Read more. and I told him I was fine with it, you know that I was okay. He then earned a Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University. By the time these meetings occurred in April, July and August of 2020 former welfare department director John Davis, who was indicted last year for his critical role in the alleged scheme, had been retired for about a year. According to the auditor's office, Davis and another DHS employee made fake invoices to pay Brett DiBiase a former pro wrestler who later became a DHS employee with money intended to helppoor families. That ultimately led to (Wednesday's) arrests," DHS officials said in a statement. DiBiase was allegedly paid to teach classes about drug use and instead used the money to pay for his own drug rehabilitation in Malibu, California. A judge in the ongoing welfare embezzlement case is balancing the publics interest in learning how officials misspent tens of millions of federal dollars with a defendants right to a fair trial. Webb said she and her organizations financial officer visited WWISCAAs Greenville Center and found just one vehicle in the parking lot. You may opt-out by. Agents also arrested DHS employee Latimer Smith; Dr. Nancy New, owner and director of the Mississippi Community Education Center and New Learning; Zach New, assistant executive director of MCEC; Anne McGrew, accountant for MCEC; and former pro wrestler Brett DiBiase in connection with the multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme.Tap here for mugshots. Former Green Bay Packers Quarterback and Hall of Famer Brett Favre has been accused of using his "special access" to former Mississippi Gov. Former DHS director, wrestler arrested in 'largest public embezzlement case in state history'. Before joining the staff at Mississippi Today in September of 2018, Anna worked for three years at Clarion Ledger, Mississippis statewide daily newspaper. . Check back for updates. Hall of Fame Gold Jacket Dinner on August 4, 2016 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. Together, the nonprofits paid more than $3 million to retired WWE wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr. for little more than inspirational speaking and promotion and paid a six-figure salary to retired football player Marcus Dupree, plus covered the $9,500-a-month mortgage on his horse ranch. Nancy New is a long-time political ally and financial supporter of Mississippis new Governor, Tate Reeves. Logan Reeves, a spokesman for the auditor's office, said all the arrests were made Wednesday. READ MORE: Coverage of Mississippis sprawling welfare scandal. Records are kept for all cases from the last 20 years. The February 2020 internal report claimed that an employee of 100 Black Men falsified timesheets to pay people who were not working at the nonprofit and that they were using federal money to buy personal items for staff and their family, according to the audit, which did not name the organization. The funds were instead taken by a group of influential people for their own benefit, and the scheme is massive. Suspected fraud can be reported to MDHS online any time by submitting the MDHS Fraud Tip Form athttps://www.mdhs.ms.gov/report-fraud/, calling the Fraud Tip Line at 1-(800)-299-6905, or email at fraud@mdhs.ms.gov. All six people charged are Mississippi residents, including the former W.W.E. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. They explained to her that there had been no activities and no clients and they were told to come up with some regardless. This inability to validity MCECs records is further complicated by the fact that the principals of MCEC are currently under indictment and essentially unavailable to MDHS to review any further documentation or answer questions.. Copyright 2020 WLBT. The Hinds County District Attorney secured an indictment on December 14, 2021. (WLBT) We hear from a former employee who is just one of many who were fired by Davis. Copyright 2020 WLBT. MDHS officials say former director John Davis created an environment of fear and intimidation, John Davis is indicted in an embezzlement scheme involving millions of dollars, Beloved Mississippi school bus driver killed during crash with 18-wheeler, Eleven players with Mississippi ties selected in 2023 NFL Draft, Truck possibly connected to Hinds County jail escape found in Newton County, Paraplegic fisherman speaks to Beulah Baptist Church, Belhaven football puts a smile on the face of little girl, City of Byram awarded thousands of state dollars for infrastructure projects, 58-year-old man shoots brother after argument over a dog in Hazlehurst, Request a First Alert Weather School Visit, Advertising Non-Discrimination Certification. White confirmed in an interview earlier today that Governor Bryant, himself a former state auditor, was indeed the whistleblower who brought the case to the state auditors office in June. Any amount helps us keep producing quality journalism for Mississippi. by Anna Wolfe, Mississippi Today December 28, 2021, This and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
. The total amount of money lost to these schemes has not yet been determined, but the loss already exceeds any embezzlement . For example, the people in charge of spending welfare dollars paid $5 million to help University of Southern Mississippi build a new volleyball stadium, paid retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre $1.1 million for a promotional gig, bought a horse ranch for former high school running back Marcus Dupree, paid over $3 million to Brett DiBiases brother Ted DiBiase Jr., also a retired WWE wrestler, to conduct professional development, hired officials friends and family members and paid them six-figure salaries, and paid rents on properties they owned that sat empty. a proud member of the Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. We are verifying those as well to determine the validity of such. But fast forward to that afternoon session and my cell phone began to vibrate. 0:53. ( WJTV) - A former employee for the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) was arrested for embezzlement after an investigation by the Investigations Division of . According to the auditor's office, there are at least six people involved, though the investigation is ongoing. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. An eight-month investigation revealed that the accused conspired to illegally obtain millions in public funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program administered by DHS, White said. Theyve also started bringing in subgrantees for training on whats expected and how they can best meet federal guidelines. The total amount of money lost to the schemes has not yet been determined but the loss already exceeds any embezzlement scheme in the records of the auditors office, White said. As a reminder, the scheme includes more than $4.15 million dollars in embezzled government money. Anyone can read what you share. We will continue to follow this case and update you as new developments are made available. This is a developing story. We work to provide free, accessible news for everyone to create a more informed Mississippi and hold public officials accountable. The agency expects to soon file civil charges against Davis and others who received the funds. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. All of this is being put in place to make sure the sins of the past never recur in the future, added Blanton. We certainly do not want to falsely accuse. Create a recurring donation today to join our mission. Many employees have said they were fired for menial things. DiBiase is the son of well-known former pro wrestler Ted DiBiase. He added that, Anything they gave to the campaign will be there waiting to return to the taxpayers and help the people it was intended for. State auditors said Mr. Davis, of Brookhaven, Miss., conspired with the administrators at a nonprofit, the Mississippi Community Education Center, and the organizations accountant to defraud taxpayers and create phony invoices. Uncovering the scheme goes back further than you may realize. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. a proud member of the Nancy New and her son, Zach New, stand accused of using the News nonprofit, MCEC, to pay for DiBiases drug treatment using TANF funds, White said. Davis attorney argues that when White and Anderson have discussed the case with the media, they have focused solely on Davis actions and not the several other employees who approved various purchases or the agency policies that he argues sanctioned Davis conduct. "MDHS self-reported the information that initiated this investigation to former Gov. The funds mostly came from a federal welfare grant program administered by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and both the head of the nonprofit and the former head of the MDHS have. Johnson says Davis then asked everyone to put away their cellphones and called him into the hallway. Check out these great suggestions. A $50,000 surety bond covers Jackson's employment as the Farmington City Clerk. Others doing this kind of thing are on notice: This will not be tolerated now., Former Mississippi Welfare Director Charged With Embezzling Millions, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/us/john-davis-mdhs-brett-dibiase.html. He attended public schools there and then obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi. Between 2016 and 2018, the nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center doled out $5 millionallegedly at Favres requestto the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre attended and where his daughter also attended and played volleyball, to pay for a new volleyball court, according to Mississippi Today; the nonprofit also paid him $1.1 million to promote a program called Families First. All TANF funds will go through the RFP process, Blanton said. Anderson recently told a reporter that his agency had reinstated the practice of sending letters to subgrantees who are suspected of misusing grant funds, which he said Davis administration had stopped. Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. When I checked to see who the caller was Mr. Davis was passing by and he stopped and he asked me to put my phone away and which I complied.". Davis is indicted along with Nancy New, her son Zach New, Anne McGrew, Latimer Smith and Brett DiBiase. As we reported, the Mississippi Community Education Center or MCEC was a sub grantee receiving TANF dollars that first flowed through DHS. New is the executive director of Oxford University School. The centers director had made a call to her warning her that we were there. At Davis direction, MCEC used TANF money received from DHS to pay for DiBiases opioid treatment at the Rise in Malibu facility, White said. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using.
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