Hall of Famer BUSTED in Major Embezzlement Sting
National Football League Hall of Famer Brett Farve was busted in a major embezzlement sting in Mississippi on Tuesday. An audit by Mississippi State Auditor Shad White reported that the former Green Bay Packer legend received $1.1 million dollars from the Mississippi Department of Human Services for several speaking engagements in which Favre was never present.
The Hall of Fame quarterback received two payments for his ‘services.’ Favre received two payments of $500,000 and $600,000 in 2017 and 2018, according to the audit. White stated that the sting discovered $94 million dollars of state welfare money were questionably allocated by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
The Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC), through its contacts in the Department of Human Services, paid Brett Favre via the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Favre Enterprises was contracted by this program so that the HOF Hall of Fame quarterback would participate in ‘three speaking engagements, one radio promotion and one keynote speech,’ according to WISN.
Embezzlement Details
The sting by the auditors revealed several egregious instances of misappropriate use of government funds, which had been earmarked for the poor and needy of the state. Nancy New, leader of MCEC, received millions of TANF dollars, according to ClarionLedger. New purchased three automobiles for herself and her sons, each car valued at over $50,000 each, including a Ford F-250. Although the vehicles were registered to MCEC, the sting revealed they were for personal use.
Mississippi state auditors revealed a plethora of irregularities by New in the sting, including using the welfare money to hire lobbyists, sponsor NCAA sports tournaments, and an astounding $6 million dollars to a private school and organization run by New.
John Davis, former director of the Department of Human Services, was also implicated in the sting. Family members of Davis were given contracts by MCEC to the tune of over a million dollars.
The MCEC leader New and her sons also invested welfare money in Prevacus, a Florida medical company. Prevacus agreed to give MCEC individual rights for a clinical drug trial regarding a concession drug in Mississippi. The profits would have been given to the individuals, not MCEC nor the state of Mississippi, according to MississippiToday. Brett Favre had introduced New to the Prevacus company.
Due to the successful sting, New and Davis are now facing charges due to their misspending of state funds that were to be used for the citizens of Mississippi. Former Green Bay Packer, Favre, has not been charged.