So Is (Alleged) Welfare Cheat Brett Favre Going To Jail Or Nah?

This story keeps getting worse.

Dirtbags who misuse welfare funds intended for poor people aren't typically known for their honor and loyalty, so it's no shock that the players involved in Mississippi's massive welfare scandal are turning on each other.

John Davis, the former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS), pleaded guilty last week to an assortment of state and federal fraud charges, specifically a conspiracy to misspend welfare funds. Mother and son scam duo Nancy and Zach New pleaded guilty to state and federal charges in April. Nancy New was director of grifty "nonprofit" the Mississippi Community Education Center, which blew through millions that should've helped feed the poor. Instead, Nancy and Zach New bought lavish gifts for themselves.

The stampede of rats from this sinking ship has turned the heat up on retired NFL quarterback and alleged welfare cheat Brett Favre. Mississippi squandered millions of dollars in welfare funds on Favre’s pet project, a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater and where his daughter played volleyball. According to new court documents, Favre tried to bleed more cash from the state's welfare agency for yet another underprivileged sports facility. This was in 2019, when Favre was trying (unsuccessfully) to recruit Deion Sanders's son to play at USM. That scheme went nowhere.

PREVIOUSLY:

 Brett Favre Diverted Frivolous Mississippi Welfare Funds To Very Serious Volleyball Stadium 

 Law Closing In On Brett Favre Sticking His Dick In Mississippi Welfare Money Pie 

Former Mississippi GOP Gov. Phil Bryant insists he didn't know Favre and Nancy New, a friend of his wife's, "were pursuing MDHS funds for the USM Volleyball Center." Newly released texts show Bryant warning Favre that his sought-after funds came from a federal program intended for needy families (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF) and that using this money to build a sports stadium was probably illegal, not to mention gross.

On July 28, 2019, Bryant texted Favre that the founder of a nonprofit who paid him "has some limited control over Federal Funds in the form of Grants for Children and adults in the Low Income Community."

"Use of these funds [is] tightly controlled," Bryant wrote, according to the filing. "Any improper use could result in violation of Federal Law. Auditors are currently reviewing the use of these funds."

Bryant's lawyers filed court documents Friday with multiple text messages between Bryant and Favre, which seek to show that Bryant, while he was governor, was willing to help Favre raise private money for the volleyball facility starting in 2017, but was unaware for years that welfare funds were used to build the stadium. He was clueless and incompetent, a sucker but not an accomplice. That's his defense, we guess. (Bryant's lawyers made sure to release the texts that were exculpatory, but has requested that the press not see the others, which doesn't seem entirely on the up-and-up.)

Mississippi is one of the country's poorest states, yet only 1.42 percent of residents who qualify for welfare actually receive it. The state has filed a civil lawsuit against Favre and others to recover more than $20 million in welfare funds that was diverted from actual needy people and spent on bullshit.

Favre hasn't been arrested or charged for his part in the scandal. His lawyers insist he didn't know where the funds came from, but texts show Favre was aware of the source and concerned the public might find out. He asked in 2017, "If you were to pay me, is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?" 

However, Favre is at least facing some career fallout for his scuzziness. ESPN Milwaukee has put its relationship with Favre on "pause." Presumably, Good Karma Brands, which owns ESPN Milwaukee, now considers Favre a Bad Karma Brand. Favre last appeared on the radio station on September 12.

We like to believe, though, that actual justice will eventually close in on Favre.

[ Mississippi Today / ESPN / USA Today / AL.com ]

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