July 30th 2024.
The clock is ticking for the federal government to take action against Brett Favre for his involvement in a controversial meeting that took place back in 2019. Among the attendees of this meeting, who have all been charged in connection to a welfare scandal in Mississippi, Favre remains the only one who has not faced any charges yet.
According to reports from Front Office Sports, the meeting in question was a sales presentation for Prevacus, a drug company founded by Jake VanLandingham. It is alleged that this company received over $2 million in federal welfare funds by the end of 2019, leading to VanLandingham's indictment in July of that year. With less than three months left, federal prosecutors are running out of time to charge Favre with any criminal offenses related to the illegal distribution of welfare funds.
The scandal revolves around the misappropriation of over $90 million intended for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in Mississippi. This program aims to assist the most impoverished families in one of the poorest states in America. Matt Tympanick, a criminal defense attorney closely following the case, believes that the federal authorities are taking their time with Favre's prosecution.
"It seems like the feds are really cutting it close with this one," Tympanick stated to Front Office Sports. However, former federal prosecutor Jeffery M. Chemerinsky has a different perspective on the matter. He believes that the complexity of building a case against Favre may be the reason for the delay.
"White-collar cases can be complicated, especially when it comes to proving intent," Chemerinsky explained. "There may have been an extensive grand jury investigation, and they could have secured cooperation from some of the co-defendants who have already entered into plea agreements. It's possible that the authorities have been meticulously putting together a strong case, knowing that they are not under any time pressure."
Chemerinsky also shared a potential strategy that the prosecution may use in their case against Favre. "They can include acts that happened outside the five-year statute of limitations, as long as they can tie it to the main story," he said. "The crucial factor is that the last overt act of the conspiracy must have taken place within the five-year window."
Among the other individuals charged in this scandal are Nancy New, her son Zach, John Davis, and Ted DiBiase Jr., son of wrestling legend "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase Sr. All except DiBiase have either accepted a plea deal or are expected to do so, cooperating with the investigation. DiBiase's trial is scheduled to begin in January 2025.
Despite being linked to $8 million in stolen or misappropriated funds, Favre has not faced any charges related to his involvement in the scheme. However, text messages have surfaced, indicating that he may have been aware of the questionable source of the money he received.
According to a lawsuit, "Favre knew that the welfare funds paid to the Foundation were 'grant funds' on his behalf. He was aware that John Davis was providing these funds from MDHS (Mississippi's welfare agency) for the construction of a volleyball facility. He even discussed the source of the funding with Jon Gilbert, and texted Jake VanLandingham, saying, 'She has strong connections and gave me 5 million for Vball facility via grant money.'"
The lawsuit also states that "Zachary New, a current member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, has pleaded guilty to defrauding MDHS through payments made under the USM Athletic Foundation Sublease. Through its directors and agents, including Brett Favre, Nancy New, and Jon Gilbert, the Foundation was aware that the source of the funding was federal TANF grant funds paid to MDHS."
This case has caused a lot of controversy and has even led to a defamation lawsuit filed by Favre against Shannon Sharpe. As the investigation continues, only time will tell if Favre will face any charges for his involvement in this scandal.
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