As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. According to the auditor's office, there are at least six people involved, though the investigation is ongoing. Maine resident sentenced to 3 years in prison for fraud and tax offenses stemming from $1.8 million embezzlement scheme; April 14, 2023. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. Whites statement said John Davis, former head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, had been arrested and charged in connection with a multi-million-dollar embezzlement scheme.. HINDS COUNTY, Miss. You deserve answers. Auditor Shad White said his office is still attempting to determine the total amount of money involved, but the "sprawling conspiracy" already exceeds any embezzlement scheme in recent years. JACKSON, Miss. Oxford University School executive director connected to DHS What is the relationship between Davis and the News? "Thats to create the transparency. An eight-month investigation revealed that the accused conspired to illegally obtain millions in public funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program administered by DHS, White said. Several people were arrested and charged on Feb. 5, 2020. The centers director had made a call to her warning her that we were there. Theyve also started bringing in subgrantees for training on whats expected and how they can best meet federal guidelines. Davis may face trial in September. We work to provide free, accessible news for everyone to create a more informed Mississippi and hold public officials accountable. Records are kept for all cases from the last 20 years.The suspects were each released on their own recognizance Wednesday night, officials with the Hinds County Sheriff's Office said. Since then, the subgrantee process has changed and the state plan for TANF reflects those changes. The State Auditor's office says Davis allowed 98 million dollars meant for the needy to flow into nonprofits where the money was spent to hire lobbyists, on contracts for family members, to purchase vehicles, even repaying a loan. NEMiss.NEWS was founded in 2014 and is a division of Shivimage, LLC, and began publishing in early 2015. In a statement, the Department of Human Services said it had self-reported the information that initiated this investigation to the governors office in June 2019. When White released the first audit outlining the scheme in May of 2020, he said Davis saw his appointment as head of human services in 2016 as an opportunity to build a kingdom over there. But in the last year, Whites office has declined on several occasions to publicly discuss the particulars of the criminal case. Shad White:Transparency: Is Mississippi spending too much or not enough money on childrens programs? Nancy New is a long-time political ally and financial supporter of Mississippis new Governor, Tate Reeves. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Please reload the page and try again. After DHS employees reported their findings to the Governor, the State Auditor was notified and the investigation was launched. Paul Lacoste did not return calls Tuesday morning. DHS went on camera with WLBT to answer questions about what happened and what theyve changed to prevent the problem from happening again. That ultimately led to (Wednesday's) arrests," DHS officials said in a statement. Former Director of DHS and others arrested in largest public - WJTV HINDS COUNTY, Miss. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. "MDHS self-reported the information that initiated this investigation to former Gov. ( WJTV) - A former employee for the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) was arrested for embezzlement after an investigation by the Investigations Division of . Former MDHS employee arrested for embezzlement - WJTV If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using. Davis and Smith created documents and arranged payment knowing DiBiase was not performing the work he was hired to perform, White said. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Brett Favre Scandal: Alleged $8 Million Welfare Scam, Explained - Forbes Copyright 2020 WLBT. In doing so, we have identified concerns with Victory Sports expense reports and services. MDHS Embezzlement Part 1: Charges and evidence Anderson has ushered in new procurement practices and financial controls to increase accountability among the departments welfare grantees. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Farmington City Clerk Arrested for Embezzlement Mississippi Office of Thats to be open with how funds are distributed and who theyre going to.. We moved quickly and quietly in the auditors office to put a stop to the DHS scheme before any more money was taken, and now is the time to use every investigative resource available to uncover all the fraud that remains., The story about the MDHS scandal first broke late Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2020. JACKSON, Miss. John Davis, former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, was arrested within the largest alleged public embezzlement case in state history. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. MDHS officials say former director John Davis created an environment of fear and intimidation, John Davis is indicted in an embezzlement scheme involving millions of dollars, Beloved Mississippi school bus driver killed during crash with 18-wheeler, Eleven players with Mississippi ties selected in 2023 NFL Draft, Truck possibly connected to Hinds County jail escape found in Newton County, Paraplegic fisherman speaks to Beulah Baptist Church, Belhaven football puts a smile on the face of little girl, City of Byram awarded thousands of state dollars for infrastructure projects, 58-year-old man shoots brother after argument over a dog in Hazlehurst, Request a First Alert Weather School Visit, Advertising Non-Discrimination Certification. John Davis was indicted along with several others in the largest embezzlement and fraud scheme in Mississippi history. Theyve also started bringing in subgrantees for training on whats expected and how they can best meet federal guidelines. Emails obtained by Mississippi Today provide greater insight into the scope and type of foolery occurring within the federal grants. Photo gallery: Equestrian program at Mississippi College, Nurse recounts horrors inside a Yazoo City nursing home, Coverage of Mississippis sprawling welfare scandal, Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. According to a Mississippi Today review of public records, the agency sent out 110 letters during roughly the last year under Anderson compared to four letters in fiscal year 2019 under Davis. The former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services and several others have been arrested in what the state auditor said is the largest public embezzlement case in state history.Special agents from the office of State Auditor Shad White have arrested John Davis, who retired after 28 years with DHS on July 31, 2019. He resigned in July 2019, at about the same time the auditor's office began its investigation. The funds that were illegally obtained in this case were intended to help the poorest among us, Mr. White said in a statement Wednesday. State agencies must improve when it comes to cybersecurity, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Follow him on Twitter @gbolognaCL. Mississippi's Ex-Welfare Director, 5 Others Arrested Over - NPR Contests. We do appreciate the partnership with Victory Sports and Pauls work. Auditor: DHS scandal continued after investigation began Contact Giacomo "Jack" Bologna at 601-961-7282 or gbologna@gannett.com. Skip to content. He had the latitude to unilaterally disperse funds as he felt necessary or wanted to, Blanton confirmed. In the nearly two years after agents first arrested Davis, Whites office has publicized continued findings related to welfare spending and Anderson has made media appearances to discuss changes at his agency as it attempts to restore public trust. DiBiase is the son of well-known former pro wrestler Ted DiBiase. Feazell later turned herself into MDHS and Hinds County officials on Monday, February 28, 2022. 0:27. Many more millions are yet to be accounted for and investigators have not revealed the involvement of any other figures, such as state leaders, in the scheme. Wooten pushed back on this argument, repeatedly asking the attorney representing White and Anderson from the state attorney generals office how the gag order prevents White from doing his job, namely auditing and investigating government spending. John Davis, several others face charges, arrested by state auditor's office. Therefore, while doing our due diligence, Paul LaCoste was asked not to use Families First for Mississippis brand and his funding was suspended. Brett DiBiase pleads guilty in human services embezzlement scheme Keisha Rowe Mississippi Clarion Ledger 0:00 2:16 Brett DiBiase, a former deputy administrator for the Mississippi Department. The matter was referred to the Hinds County District Attorney Office for criminal prosecution after terminating her employment. Davis is accused of creating fake invoices for DiBiase and for "creating a fraud scheme to take TANF funds to pay for personal investments in medical device companies.". But when the State Auditors Office later asked state agency officials at two separate meetings in 2020 if they knew of any other potential fraud, they did not relay the report, the audit released Tuesday said. Looking for something special to get your mom for Mothers Day? A major part of Reevess education agenda has been to funnel state tax money to New Summit and other private schools in the state, including another one owned by New and son. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services. Shortly after last year's arrests in the largest reported public embezzlement scheme in state history, a whistleblower disclosed several previously unreported fraud allegations to the welfare department regarding one of its federal grant recipients. He attended a professional development conference led by Davis outside the department and he says the encounter left him confused and embarrassed. We do not sell or share your information with anyone. Tate Reeves appointed the agencys current director, Bob Anderson, in March of 2020. We work to provide free, accessible news for everyone to create a more informed Mississippi and hold public officials accountable. NEMiss.NEWS is a locally owned and operated online news magazine containing news, information, opinion, etc. She said that you were disrespectful.". Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. Nancy New and her son, Zach New, stand accused of using the News nonprofit, MCEC, to pay for DiBiases drug treatment using TANF funds, White said. Officials charged Davis almost two years ago with conspiracy, embezzlement or fraud by a public official and making false statements to defraud the government. Davis and Smith created invoices to pay DiBiase TANF money for teaching classes about drug abuse, but DiBiase was in a luxury rehabilitation facility for his own drug use in California at the time and did not perform the services, White said. I dont care how politically connected a person may be, Mr. White said. Brett DiBiase has pleaded guilty for his role in an embezzlement scheme that investigators said was the largest in state history.The former pro wrestler was arrested in July 2019 along with several others, including former Mississippi Department of Human Services Director John Davis.DiBiase entered a guilty plea Thursday in Hinds County Circuit Court to making fraudulent statements for the . As a reminder, the scheme includes more than $4.15 million dollars in embezzled government money. You may opt-out by. Nancy New was the owner and director of the Mississippi Community Education Center and New Learning, Inc. She also founded New Summit, a private school in Jackson. Anna has received national recognition for her work, including the 2021 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting, the 2021 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability, the 2021 John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Award, the 2020 Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award and the February 2020 Sidney Award for reporting on Mississippis debtors prisons. Everything was going well. Ricky Jones, who has served as president of 100 Black Men of Jackson since March, said his organization just learned about the investigation last week when DHS notified them they would not be receiving a welfare grant this year.
Cairo Il Organized Crime,
Articles M
