What does John Davis’ guilty plea mean for Brett Favre in the Mississippi welfare scandal?
If one thing is clear, it’s that the former Packers star, was involved with individuals who weren’t doing things by the book. Did he know and have a hand in it?
With the federal government now involved in the case, it’s all but assured that we’re going to have more details uncovered in the ongoing Mississippi welfare fraud scandal.
Key witness in Mississippi welfare scandal pleads guilty
According to reports, John Davis has agreed to plead guilty to fraud charges. As per reports, Davis was in fact the director of the state’s welfare agency during the period of time that it distributed millions in federal welfare funds for what have now been deemed improper purposes. That Davis is now said to be cooperating with prosecutors almost certainly means that more charges will follow. It is understood that Davis will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and theft. To be clear, the crimes in question carry a maximum of a 15-year prison sentence.
“At Davis’s direction, [Mississippi’s welfare agency] provided federal funds to two nonprofit organizations and then directed the two nonprofit organizations to fraudulently award contracts to various entities and individuals for social services that were never provided,” the Justice Department said in a news release.
How does John Davis’ plea affect Brett Favre?
To be clear, part of Davis’ plea will involve him disclosing how the alleged fraud was established and exactly which individuals benefitted from it. Where state and federal prosecution is concerned, that kind of cooperation is significant to say the least. Considered a central player in the misappropriation of funds, Davis faces 24 separate charges for his role, however, was able to ‘escape’ a prison sentence of almost 50 years as a result of his cooperation. Indeed, in exchange for his compliance, he will likely only see a small amount of that time in prison, even more so if the information he gives can lead to others being implicated.
What’s Brett Favre’s role in Mississippi welfare fraud scandal?
To date, the former Green Bay Packers start has not been accused of wrongdoing, however, the circumstances of the developing situation indicate that he could in fact face some form of probe. What we do know is that Favre worked to secure $5 million in funding for a volleyball stadium at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. In addition to the aforementioned sum, he also received some $3.2 million in funding for a pharmaceutical company in which he invested. Further to that, it was also alleged that Favre received $1.1 million for appearances which he did not fulfill. It has since been reported, that he refunded the amount.’ As things stand, the three-time league MVP has maintained that he is not guilty of any wrong doing and It’s worth noting, that he’s even been interviewed by the FBI.
Are there others implicated in the scandal with Brett Favre?
As a point to note, Davis’ guilty plea is actually the second major agreement that prosecutors were able to secure. Back in April, nonprofit manager Nancy New, was indicted and pleaded guilty to 13 felonies related to the investigation. New allegedly maintained a nonprofit as a front, in order to reallocate funds to a number of projects in an enterprise that was later described by authorities as “welfare for the well-connected.”
Interestingly, reports also indicate that prosecutors are investigating former Mississippi governor Phil Bryant. Published text messages allegedly link Bryant, Davis, New and Favre to funds that were sought for the volleyball building project at Southern Mississippi. There even appears to be a sequence in which Bryant seems to direct Favre in how to write a proposal for funding that would meet the requirements of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Bryant has since denied any recollection of using welfare funds inappropriately.