*Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre will testify under oath on the Mississippi welfare scandal later this month.
Favre is at the center of a welfare fraud investigation for his link to a Mississippi nonprofit whose founder pled guilty to misusing federal funds, Insider reports. It is alleged that Favre, who retired from the NFL in 2010, used his connections to divert funds from the nonprofit to bankroll a new volleyball stadium at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi.
Favre, a former Green Bay Packers quarterback, reportedly received $5 million in welfare funds to build the volleyball gym for his daughter at the university.
An April 2022 investigation by Mississippi Today claims Favre pressured “Mississippi welfare officials to steer taxpayer funds to his pet projects — one of which he planned to profit from.”
Favre reportedly repaid the millions and will be grilled about misspending federal welfare money on Oct. 26, according to a new court filing. The State wants his testimony to be sealed from the public for 30 days.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer is among more than three dozen defendants in a lawsuit filed by the Human Services director of Mississippi’s Department of Human Services to recover some of the welfare money.
Here’s more from the AP:
Mississippi has ranked among the poorest states in the U.S. for decades, but only a fraction of its federal welfare money has been going toward direct aid to families. Instead, the Mississippi Department of Human Services allowed well-connected people to fritter away $77 million in federal welfare funds from 2016 to 2019, according to the state auditor and state and federal prosecutors.
Favre has denied wrongdoing and sued the state auditor for defamation, the AP reported.
Earlier this year, Favre threatened Dr. Umar Johnson with legal action for talking about the case. As SandraRose reported, he retained the law firm of Kasowitz Benson Toress LLP, which sent a notice to Dr. Umar informing him that they are investigating “potential legal claims against you arising from certain public statements you have made about Mr. Favre.”
The letter warned Dr. Umar to “preserve, and not destroy, conceal, alter or otherwise spoliate, any and all documents and information in your possession…”
Dr. Umar shared the letter on his Instagram page, which included a text overlay that read: “White privilege vs Black power. First they came for Kanye, then Kyrie, now they coming for King Kong!”
Meanwhile, no criminal charges have been brought against Favre. According to reports, he will give sworn testimony on Oct. 26 at a hotel in Hattiesburg.
READ MORE: Brett Favre Threatens Legal Action Against Dr. Umar Johnson Over Welfare Scandal
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