Brett Favre’s motion to dismiss the Mississippi Department of Human Services’ lawsuit against him was denied by a district judge.
The ruling comes a month after the Department (MDHS) advised the judge against releasing Favre from the lawsuit centered on the largest public corruption case in the state’s history. The scandal has spread over several years after some of the state’s wealthiest and well-connected citizens, including Favre, squandered $77 million in federal welfare for low-income Mississippi residents on pet projects.
The Green Bay Packers legend was not charged with a felony in the case and had previously repaid $1.1 million he received for missed appearances. However, since that sum was repaid, Favre and more than three dozen other companies and individuals have been sued by the MDHS.
Specifically, Favre is accused of pouring $5 million in welfare funds into a new volleyball arena at his alma mater in southern Mississippi, where his daughter played the sport at the time, and another $1.7 million in public aid for the development of an anti-concussion drug company that counted the retired quarterback among its investors.
“Obviously Brett Favre is disappointed with the court’s decision,” a Favre spokesman told in response to the decision. “His legal team is exploring your options.”
Favre’s motion to dismiss the Mississippi Department of Human Services’ lawsuit was denied
He first tried to have the 2022 lawsuit dismissed in November before the state revised its claims against him the following month.
Favre’s attorneys subsequently filed a motion to dismiss the amended lawsuit in February, arguing that the MDHS was attempting to deviate from its own failed oversight by suing the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
“It is evident that MDHS has sued Favre, a Mississippi native and national celebrity, to attempt to deflect responsibility for his own egregious wrongdoing by allowing tens of millions of dollars of his public funds to be improperly spent – monies for which MDHS itself admits that it is “solely responsible,” according to the filing of Favre’s attorneys, which include former Donald Trump attorney Eric D. Herschmann.
On Monday, District Court Judge E. Faye Peterson ruled that Favre’s motion to parole was denied because his argument relied on his version of facts that “cannot be considered by the court” due to procedural rules.
Peterson also described the arguments put forward by Favre’s attorneys as “unconvincing and inapplicable.”
In October, Favre claimed he was “unjustly slandered” in the media for his connection to the $77 million federal welfare scam in his home state of Mississippi.
“I did nothing wrong and it’s time to set the record straight,” Favre said in a Fox News statement, breaking months of silence on the subject.
Favre used welfare funds to pay for a volleyball gym at Southern Miss, his alma mater
Product Southern Miss was not charged in the case, which has already led to multiple guilty pleas, but was awarded $1.1 million in welfare payments for no-show speaking engagements. He has since repaid that amount, but has so far refused to pay $228,000 in interest that he is being billed by the state.
As a result, according to Mississippi Today, Favre is among 38 individuals or organizations being sued by the state to recover $24 million if the $77 million in federal Social Security benefits are returned.
Additionally, recently surfaced text messages from 2017 revealed his efforts to divert $5 million in welfare payments to a new volleyball arena for the University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater, where his daughter was playing the sport at the time. In a message, Favre asks himself: “Is there even (sic) where the media can find out [the money] came from and how much?’
But in his statement to Fox News, Favre denied knowing the source of the funding.
“Nobody ever told me, and I didn’t know, that money that’s going to welfare recipients goes to the university or to me,” Favre said. “I was trying to help my alma mater, USM, a Mississippi state university, raise funds for a wellness center. My goal has always been and still is to improve the sports facilities at my university.”
The lawsuit, filed in May, says Favre was once the largest single outside investor and shareholder in Odyssey Health, a Florida-based company trying to develop a concussion drug. The lawsuit alleges that in December 2018, Favre asked Prevacus CEO Jake VanLandingham to ask Nancy New, the owner of a Mississippi nonprofit, to use funds from welfare funds to invest in the company.
Shannon Sharpe (right), a talk show co-host on FS1, has mostly remained silent on Favre’s lawsuit, but Shad White (left) attacked the Hall of Famer quarterback earlier this month
New, her son Zachary, and John Davis, the state’s former chief of human services, have all pleaded guilty to the case and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
The lawsuit also states that Favre hosted a Prevacus stock sale presentation at his home in January 2019, which was attended by VanLandingham, John Davis, the then head of state human resources, New, their son Zach and wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr., and that an agreement was reached to transfer “significant” welfare funds to Prevacus and later to its subsidiary PreSolMD Inc.
The company received $2.1 million over the next 10 months earmarked for the state welfare fund. Officially, the funding diverted to Prevacus was “for the purpose of securing clinical trial sites in Mississippi,” according to the lawsuit filed with .
Instead, according to the lawsuit, the money was used by individuals to buy shares in the company.
The state accused Favre, VanLandingham and others of having agreed in writing to receiving welfare payments as part of a “sham” to disguise financial benefits for the conspirators.
In his statement to Fox News, Favre insisted everything was being handled properly on his end, including his efforts to fund the Southern Miss athletics with help from New’s charity.
“Government provided the funds to Nancy New’s charity, the Mississippi Community Education Center, which then turned over the funds to the university, all with the full knowledge and approval of other state entities, including the State-wide Institute for Higher Learning, the governor’s office and the attorney general’s office,” he said.
“I was told that the legal work to ensure these funds could be accepted by the university was being done by prosecutors and state officials.”
In some texts, Favre expressed concern that the public would find out about the regulation
In a statement to Fox News, Mississippi State auditor Shad White said Favre’s “analysis is wrong” because Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cannot be used to fund such projects.
“The volleyball court had to be used to help those in need in Hattiesburg,” White said, referring to the Mississippi city where the Southern Miss campus is located. “And if we fast forward to today, we now know that the volleyball court was not used for those in need. So this is an improper use of TANF funds for various reasons. And for those reasons, it doesn’t matter that the attorney agreed to it. What matters is that it is simply not a legitimate use of TANF funds and it is our job in the Comptroller’s Office to point that out when we see it.’
In particular, TANF funds may not be used for brick and mortar construction projects such as: B. a new volleyball court on the Southern Miss campus.
And while White admits there’s no documentation showing Favre knew the funding came from the TANF fund, he was aware the programs involved were meant to help the poor.
In March, Favre filed defamation lawsuits against two former NFL player-turned-media personalities — Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe and YouTube host Pat McAfee — and against White over allegations that he knowingly used welfare funds for these personal projects.
YouTube host Pat McAfee has been sued by Favre for defamation after he made claims about the QB
Sharpe called Favre a “scumbag” on his FS1 show in September and accused the retired quarterback of knowingly stealing $1.1 million in Mississippi welfare funds in exchange for speeches he never gave. McAfee accused him of “robbing the poor people of Mississippi,” while White claimed Favre knew where the welfare money came from.
McAfee has since moved to have Favre’s lawsuit against him dismissed.
The state recently indicted WWE wrestler Ted DiBiase Jr. for his alleged involvement in the scheme.
The son of the legendary “Million Dollar Man” squandered millions of dollars in welfare funds intended for some of the country’s neediest people, federal prosecutors say.
DiBiase Jr., 40, is accused of receiving $3 million for welfare causes he never wanted to provide and appeared in court in Jackson, Mississippi last week.