White launched the initial investigation into how Davis administered welfare. 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. 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. There really hadnt been the internal auditing capability, the program integrity ability before that we had at that point that was created, explained DHS Chief Communications Officer Danny Blanton. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Newly unearthed text messages show Favre at the center of a scandal dating back to 2020, when a political appointee of the governor and nonprofit head, among others, were arrested for misusing federal welfare funds, some of which benefitted Favre personally as well as causes with which he was involved. Jones said he had no knowledge of any alleged fraud and that the nonprofit had cooperated with audits from the department as well as the auditors office. He also denied knowing Favre and Vanlandingham were receiving public funding for Prevacus, though text messages suggest he knew. Wooten said it appears as if the officials are attempting to try Davis case in the media. Create a recurring donation today to join our mission. Former Art Institute worker pleads guilty to $2M embezzlement scheme - MSN HINDS COUNTY, Miss. The community action agency did not return calls to Mississippi Today Tuesday morning. Before joining the staff at Mississippi Today in September of 2018, Anna worked for three years at Clarion Ledger, Mississippis statewide daily newspaper. An accountant involved in a a major embezzlement scheme has pleaded guilty to her role in a staggering theft of welfare money in Mississippi, the poorest state in the U.S. Hinds County Circuit. "Thats to create the transparency. If youre not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and include our website, You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor. Hall of Fame Gold Jacket Dinner on August 4, 2016 at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. Records are kept for all cases from the last 20 years.The suspects were each released on their own recognizance Wednesday night, officials with the Hinds County Sheriff's Office said. by Anna Wolfe, Mississippi Today December 28, 2021, This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. Mr. DiBiase, who comes from a professional wrestling family, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment. Gov. We hear from a former employee who is just one of many who were fired by Davis. The indictments, which were returned by a Hinds County grand jury, include a range of violations involving fraud and embezzlement, White said in a news release. Toy Truck Drive. State auditors said Ms. New and Mr. New concealed the embezzlement using fund transfers, fraudulent documents, at least one forged signature and deceptive accounting measures. But when the State Auditors Office later asked state agency officials at two separate meetings in 2020 if they knew of any other potential fraud, they did not relay the report, the audit released Tuesday said. Nancy New and her son Zach New are scheduled to stand trial on welfare embezzlement charges in October. - The former head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services has been arrested as part of a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scheme that among other things paid . Davis and Smith created invoices to pay DiBiase TANF money for teaching classes about drug abuse, but DiBiase was in a luxury rehabilitation facility for his own drug use in California at the time and did not perform the services, White said. Listen to this article Five of the six people accused in what could be the largest embezzlement scheme on record in Mississippi pleaded not guilty on Friday. A $50,000 surety bond covers Jackson's employment as the Farmington City Clerk. Purported text messages obtained by Mississippi Today show that Favre and Prevacus founder Jake Vanlandingham offered the governor and nonprofit director shares of Prevacus and offered to buy the head of MDHS a Ford F-150 Raptor truck in return for their help. Davis also allegedly conspired to use welfare money, which his agency had granted to a nonprofit, to pay for DiBiases four-month long stint in a luxury rehab facility in California. The Hinds County District Attorney secured an indictment on December 14, 2021. Earlier news reports indicated that the initial inquiry into the MDHS scandal may have been kicked off by Governor Bryant himself. The funds that were illegally obtained in this case were intended to help the poorest among us, Mr. White said in a statement Wednesday. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. Uncovering the scheme goes back further than you may realize. Seven New England fishermen charged with tax evasion and failing to file returns "Chapitos" charged in department's latest actions to disrupt flow of illegal fentanyl and other dangerous drugs 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 As a reminder, the scheme includes more than $4.15 million dollars in embezzled government money. The two nonprofits ran an anti-poverty program called Families First for Mississippi, through which most of the money that was allegedly stolen, $4.15 million, or potentially misspent, $94 million, flowed. He had the latitude to unilaterally disperse funds as he felt necessary or wanted to, Blanton confirmed. They then converted funds to their personal use and concealed the conversion through various fund transfers, fraudulent documents, at least one forged signature and deceptive accounting measures, investigators said. They said Mr. Davis, along with Ms. New and Mr. New, used some of the embezzled funds to invest in medical device companies. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. And they did start an internal audit at the beginning of 2019. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Chinese electric vehicle brands expand to global, Met Gala: Rihanna, Jared Leto as Choupette, Kim K., Crisler still running for sheriff despite indictment, Met Gala 2023 live updates: Fashion highlights from, Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot dies at 84, MS Insight for April 30, 2023: Steffey and Thompson, Poll: Mississippians strongly favor Presleys ideas, Poll: Presley slips, Gov. The documentation submitted by the News claimed this was to pay DiBiase for conducting training classes that never, in fact, took place, investigators said. Also, we have had a number of complaints concerning his services. DHS went on camera with WLBT to answer questions about what happened and what theyve changed to prevent the problem from happening again. You have to credit Mississippi Today. After DHS employees reported their findings to the Governor, the State Auditor was notified and the investigation was launched. NEMiss.NEWS is a locally owned and operated online news magazine containing news, information, opinion, etc. We have been told by officials with the Mississippi Department of Human Services that former Executive Director John Davis ran the department in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Brett DiBiase has pleaded guilty for his role in an embezzlement scheme that investigators said was the largest in state history.The former pro wrestler was arrested in July 2019 along with several others, including former Mississippi Department of Human Services Director John Davis.DiBiase entered a guilty plea Thursday in Hinds County Circuit Court to making fraudulent statements for the . According to MDHS, investigators said Lashanda Feazell, while Director of Procurement at MDHS, used the agencys credit card to pay her personal cellular phone bills in the amount of $5,741.39 during the period of August 2018 through January 2021. 0:27. 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. Anna Wolfe, a native of Tacoma, Wa., is an investigative reporter writing about poverty and economic justice. The suspects were each released on their own recognizance Wednesday night, officials with the Hinds County Sheriff's Office said. 0:53. The agency expects to soon file civil charges against Davis and others who received the funds. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. Photo gallery: Equestrian program at Mississippi College, Nurse recounts horrors inside a Yazoo City nursing home, Coverage of Mississippis sprawling welfare scandal, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. We want to make our employees comfortable and proud to be a part of DHS.. But their counsel argued that a broader order that prevented White and Anderson from discussing Davis tenure overall such as policies, procedures and events separate from the criminal charges would be too restrictive and prevent them from being transparent with the public about ongoing investigations and findings. The welfare agencys documentation, or lack thereof, shows Mississippi Community Education Center and Family Resource Center of North Mississippi did not, as New stated, evaluate the services and outcomes of its grantees. Tate Reeves appointed the agencys current director, Bob Anderson, in March of 2020. 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 been charged with and pleaded not guilty to embezzlement and fraud for their roles in the scheme. Matter of fact I had gotten a promotion to another department, Johnson said. Mike Hurst, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, complained on Thursday, Feb. 6, the day after the arrests, that his office had not been notified in advance by the state auditors office. Sign up for our daily newsletter to get the latest updates on the Mississippi welfare scandal. You may opt-out by. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WAPT-TV. Davis and Smith are accused of fraudulently manufacturing documents to benefit DiBiase using TANF money, White said. The agency has still not adopted a comprehensive approach to responding to and reporting suspected fraud; additionally, the agency did not take all the needed steps to verify suspected fraud was investigated timely and misappropriated monies were returned, the audit stated. {"requests":{"event":"https:\/\/mississippitoday.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/newspack-popups\/includes\/..\/api\/campaigns\/index.php"},"triggers":{"trackPageview":{"on":"visible","request":"event","visibilitySpec":{"selector":"#c237","visiblePercentageMin":50,"totalTimeMin":250,"continuousTimeMin":100},"extraUrlParams":{"popup_id":"id_989879","cid":"CLIENT_ID(newspack-cid)"}}}} Nine of them have pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges . John Davis, several others face charges, arrested by state auditor's office. by Anna Wolfe, Mississippi Today June 22, 2021, This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.. "We look forward to this moving through the justice system to a final disposition.". Amazon Has Uncanny Dupes of CB2's Popular Dining Chair for Hundreds Less. Johnson returned to the office, but the next day when he came into work, he got the news. Reginald Johnson had been with MDHS since 2007. Advertise with Us. ", Danny Blanton Chief Communications Officer with DHS did give us this statement. DHS went on camera with WLBT to answer questions about what happened and what theyve changed to prevent the problem from happening again.
Waterloo Courier Death Notices, Member's Mark Estate Daybed Swing, Locked Up Abroad Where Are They Now, Inglewood Cemetery Obituaries, Articles M