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mdhs embezzlement scheme

    mdhs embezzlement scheme

    The scheme came [] Five plead not guilty in MDHS embezzlement scheme - Vicksburg Daily News The total amount of money lost to the schemes has not yet been determined but the loss already exceeds any embezzlement scheme in the records of the auditors office, White said. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. Read more. 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. Everything was going well. Instances of fraud and abuse in Mississippis welfare system were widespread, including among other organizations who received subgrants from the Families First nonprofits. By clicking submit, you agree to share your email address with Mississippi Today. We hear from a former employee who is just one of many who were fired by Davis. Great Jones Cookware Review: Is It Worth Buying? Much more remains to be revealed, including questions such as: Please reload the page and try again. We certainly do not want to falsely accuse. Former Green Bay Packers Quarterback and Hall of Famer Brett Favre has been accused of using his "special access" to former Mississippi Gov. Anna Wolfe, a native of Tacoma, Wa., is an investigative reporter writing about poverty and economic justice. Latimer Smith is a former employee of DHS. 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. 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. Mike Hurst, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, complained on Thursday, Feb. 6, the day after the arrests, that his office had not been notified in advance by the state auditors office. At Davis direction, MCEC used TANF money received from DHS to pay for DiBiases opioid treatment at the Rise in Malibu facility, White said. The documentation submitted by the News claimed this was to pay DiBiase for conducting training classes that never, in fact, took place, investigators said. "MDHS self-reported the information that initiated this investigation to former Gov. What it looks like is that one side of the story is being put out there, Wooten said. Please reload the page and try again. Show your support>>. Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. (T)heir immediate supervisor called a meeting with the staff in Myersville and told them that they had to document names of clients and activities performed in that center. And they did start an internal audit at the beginning of 2019. John Davis has been indicted in the largest embezzlement and fraud scheme in state history. If that doesnt happen, that money will go to a deserving charity.. The welfare agencys documentation, or lack thereof, shows Mississippi Community Education Center and Family Resource Center of North Mississippi did not, as New stated, evaluate the services and outcomes of its grantees. The funds mostly came from a federal welfare grant program administered by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and both the head of the nonprofit and the former head of the MDHS have been charged with and pleaded not guilty to embezzlement and fraud for their roles in the scheme. Mississippi Community Education Center has also failed to turn over documents the agency needs to complete its forensic audit or conduct a full grant closeout the departments process for ensuring the nonprofit complied with grant requirements and spent the funds properly. HINDS COUNTY, Miss. People may have identified or suspected that something was amiss but, because of the atmosphere of fear and intimidation, they were afraid to say anything for fear of losing their jobs, noted Blanton. The cast of characters, villains and heroes, in the Mississippi Department of Human Resources (MDHS) case seems to grow by the hour. I dont care how politically connected a person may be, Mr. White said. Start a recurring donation of any amount to further this work and help hold public officials and those in power accountable. Wooten said it appears as if the officials are attempting to try Davis case in the media. 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. Johnson said, "she said well I did speak with Mr. Davis and he asked for you to be terminated. Johnson says he had heard rumblings from other employees but didn't pay much attention. We want to make our employees comfortable and proud to be a part of DHS.. We received sign in sheets and some activities that had been conducted., To make sure before actually calling their hand on this, Webb continued, I contacted another licensed social worker with a masters degree who had been employed by them under our Families First grant. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. It is also charged that DiBiase was paid state money for drug education work that he did not perform. John Davis, former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, was arrested within the largest alleged public embezzlement case in state history. Thats to be open with how funds are distributed and who theyre going to.. "He asked me, he said do you know who I am? following organizations: Whoops! We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. He had the latitude to unilaterally disperse funds as he felt necessary or wanted to, Blanton confirmed. For example, the people in charge of spending welfare dollars paid $5 million to help University of Southern Mississippi build a new volleyball stadium, paid retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre $1.1 million for a promotional gig, bought a horse ranch for former high school running back Marcus Dupree, paid over $3 million to Brett DiBiases brother Ted DiBiase Jr., also a retired WWE wrestler, to conduct professional development, hired officials friends and family members and paid them six-figure salaries, and paid rents on properties they owned that sat empty. MDHS paid Mississippi Community Education Center $19,404 two days before the state auditor's office arrested the News and former Human Services Executive Director John Davis as part of the. DHS spokesperson Danny Blanton rejected the auditors narrative that the department concealed fraud reports from the auditors office. A relative newcomer to Mississippi politics, Shadrach Shad Tucker White is 34 years old and was born in Sandersville in Jones County, MS. We confirmed that it was John Davis who was making those approvals on the money. The organizations executive director, Nancy New, 67, and its assistant executive director, Zack New, 37, were arrested on Wednesday, along with the centers accountant, Anne McGrew, 63, state auditors said. The indictments were filed under seal in Hinds County, Reeves said. Founded in 2016 as the states first nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom, Mississippi Todays roots in Capitol coverage have grown to encompass a myriad of beats beyond politics and policy, including education, public health, justice, environment, equity, and, yes, sports. All rights reserved. The February 2020 internal report claimed that an employee of 100 Black Men falsified timesheets to pay people who were not working at the nonprofit and that they were using federal money to buy personal items for staff and their family, according to the audit, which did not name the organization. Davis also allegedly conspired to use welfare money, which his agency had granted to a nonprofit, to pay for DiBiases four-month long stint in a luxury rehab facility in California. 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. 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. Phil Bryant in January 2016. As we reported, the Mississippi Community Education Center or MCEC was a sub grantee receiving TANF dollars that first flowed through DHS. This is a developing story. Help keep the momentum going by rejoining our member community today. Johnson said, "I never had any problems prior to that. I said well what is the reason? . The former head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services has been arrested as part of a multi-million dollar embezzlement scheme that among other things paid for a former . JACKSON, Miss. She asked if media coverage of an auditors investigation is initiated when a reporter asks the office a question or after the office publicizes the case. 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. "MDHS would like to thank the Office of the State Auditor investigators for their diligent work in seeing this investigation through," the post said. The complexity of the cover-up was as such that it wouldve been highly unlikely that anybody wouldve uncovered it, except by being able to find it from within, Blanton said. As a reminder, the scheme includes more than $4.15 million dollars in embezzled government money. We have been told by officials with the Mississippi Department of Human Services that former Executive Director John Davis ran the department in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. Although the total amount of money embezzled has not been determined, Auditor White characterized it as the largest public embezzlement case in state history.. We hear from a former employee who is just one of many who were fired by Davis. Webb attached a letter in her email to Davis, showing her organization had terminated their contract with WWISCAA. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). HINDS COUNTY, Miss. ", Danny Blanton Chief Communications Officer with DHS did give us this statement. The Hinds County District Attorney secured an indictment on December 14, 2021. A phone number for Ms. McGrew was busy. Mr. White said the arrests stemmed from an eight-month investigation into the misappropriation of funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which the state welfare agency administers. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/DHS-arrests.jpg?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1, https://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpg, Connecting the dots: the MDHS embezzlement scandal, Officers investigate shots fired report near Blue Springs, Retiring fire chief Steve Coker reflects on years of service, Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC). 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. Mississippi Today retrieved a 2017 email from Family Resource Center director Christi Webb, in which she described to Davis allegations of blatant deception at one of their partners, the local community action agency in Greenville, Warren-Washington-Issaqueena-Sharkey Community Action Agency or WWISCAA. Davis is indicted along with Nancy New, her son Zach New, Anne McGrew, Latimer Smith and Brett DiBiase. As a nonprofit, your support is what powers our work. There is no division there when it comes to the criminal portion of the case, Wooten said. NEMiss.NEWS was founded in 2014 and is a division of Shivimage, LLC, and began publishing in early 2015. The centers director had made a call to her warning her that we were there. MDHS self-reported the. 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