JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi auditor said Tuesday that he is demanding repayment of $77 million in misspent welfare money in one of the poorest states in the nation. This includes $828,000 the auditor is seeking from retired NFL player Brett Favre and an employee of his business, Favre Enterprises.
The initial allegations of misspending came to light in early 2020 when former Mississippi Department of Human Services executive director John Davis and five other people were indicted in one of the state’s largest public corruption cases, which the auditor characterized then as “a sprawling conspiracy.”
Favre is not facing any criminal charges, but Auditor Shad White said in May 2020 that the former Green Bay Packers quarterback, who lives in Mississippi, had repaid $500,000 of the $1.1 million in welfare money he received for multiple speeches for which he did not show up. The demand Tuesday is for the $600,000 balance, plus $228,000 in interest.
White issued the demands about two weeks after a Maryland-based CPA firm issued an independent report about how the Mississippi Department of Human Services spent federal money from 2016 through 2019 through Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. The report found nearly $41 million in “questioned costs” for items including travel and programs to support college athletes.
The Mississippi auditor is demanding that interest be paid on the $77 million, bringing the total sought to more than $96 million. White is demanding that whole amount from Davis and most of it from two nonprofit organizations, Mississippi Community Education Center and the Family Resource Center.
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