Former NFL star quarterback Brett Favre was paid $1.1 million in welfare money for speaking engagements at events he did not show up at, according to a report.
Mississippi State Auditor Shad White revealed on Monday details of the payments, which came from funds meant to be allocated to Mississippi residents in need, but were misspent. The Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS) oversaw the spending of more than $94 million of federal money, which was improperly used in a welfare fraud scheme. Of that amount, $1.1 million was allocated to Favre to make guest appearances at multiple events that he did not attend, according to The Associated Press.
Favre was paid by a nonprofit group caught up in the scandal. He is not facing criminal charges.
Favre Enterprises was paid $500,000 in December 2017 and $600,000 in June 2018 by the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC), one of several nonprofits that had contracts with DHS to spend money through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
The payments made by MCEC to Favre have been listed by the audit as "questioned" costs. White said that "auditors either saw clear misspending or could not verify the money had been lawfully spent."
The audit comes shortly after former DHS director John Davis and five others were accused of embezzling roughly $4 million. They pleaded not guilty. MCEC faces accusations of providing contracts to Davis' relatives, which included his brother-in-law's and nephew's company. Furthermore, $1.3 million was spent on a group that conducted three 12-week fitness boot camps that were attended for free by state legislators and other elected officials.
The Family Resource Center, meanwhile, purchased two vehicles — one for more than $50,000 and another for nearly $28,000 — with welfare money.
White said the audit "shows the most egregious misspending my staff have seen in their careers," according to AP.
"If there was a way to misspend money, it seems DHS leadership or their grantees thought of it and tried it," he noted.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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