Brett DiBiase has been charged with fraud in a federal court.
Brett DiBiase, the son of ‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase, plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the government in a federal court last week according to Mississippi Today. DiBiase is a former pro wrestler who spent time with the WWE between 2008 and 2011.
DiBiase’s guilty plea is part of a deal that signals his intention to serve as a witness in the federal government’s ongoing investigation into what has been termed the ‘Mississippi welfare scandal’. DiBiase’s conspiracy charge carries a possible five year prison sentence and $250,000 fine.
That scandal involves the alleged theft and misspending of tens of millions of federal welfare funds under the administration of former governor Phil Bryant.
When DiBiase entered his plea he was joined in court by his father and mother Melanie DiBiase. His brother Teddy DiBiase, who had a longer run in the WWE and who became World Tag Team champion there alongside Cody Rhodes, was also in the courtroom.
DiBiase, his father and brother have all been accused of profiting from the scandal. Specifically, they are facing charges in a civil lawsuit drafted by the Mississippi Department of Human Services demanding they return $5 million in welfare funds they received.
Neither Ted nor Teddy DiBiase have been formerly charged with a crime. However, the US government has attempted to seize Teddy DiBiase’s $1.5 million home in Madison, MS.
Teddy DiBiase was also accused of being an alleged co-conspirator during the case of former welfare director John Davis, who plead guilty to fraud charges last September. Davis was the former government’s direct subordinate. He also made a plea deal and is expected to cooperate with prosecutors who are continuing the investigation.
Davis had hired the DiBiase family members as part of the state welfare agency’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The DiBiase’s were given roles that included employee training, motivational speaking, opioid abuse awareness, youth mentoring, development of a phone app to track teens and workforce development. However, despite being paid for these roles, the programs never materialized.
Brett DiBiase had been working under Davis at the welfare agency in 2017 before being granted a six-figure job at Mississippi Community Education Center, which was operated by Nancy New and has been accused of facilitating the theft of federal funds. While working at that center DiBiase outsourced contracts to the TANF program.
In one instance DiBiase was given a $48,000 contract with the welfare department to provide opioid addiction education. However, after relapsing himself he was then given $160,000 in federal funds for a four-month stint in a “luxury rehab facility” in Malibu, CA.
Prosecutors believe that activities like these make up part of the biggest public fraud case in state history. They have stated that around $8 million in funds was improperly distributed in this manner.