Brett Favre KNEW he received public money in welfare fraud scandal, state auditor says

Brett Favre was concerned about public learning he received federal funding for personal projects and hoped to keep that information “confidential,” according to text messages written by the Hall of Famer quarterback included in the latest filing in his Mississippi lawsuit and state accountant Shad White.

“Will the public perception be that I became a spokesperson for various federally funded shelters, schools, homes, etc … and was compensated with federal funds?” Favre asked in the text message contained in the Mississippi filing and DailyMail.com was made available. ‘Or can we keep this confidential?’

As White explained in a Twitter thread on Monday, the text messages are significant because they allegedly show that Favre “was aware that he was receiving ‘grant’ money, which people in ‘government-funded shelters, schools, homes, etc.’ should benefit”.

“In other words,” White wrote, “the poor.”

Favre has filed defamation lawsuits against White and two former NFL player-turned-media personalities – Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe and podcaster Pat McAfee – over allegations that he knowingly used welfare funds for personal projects, such as developing a concussion drug in which the Packers Legend has been invested.

Brett Favre (left) was concerned about public learning he was receiving federal funding for personal projects and hoped to keep that information “confidential,” according to text messages the Hall of Famer quarterback wrote, which appears in the latest filing in his Litigation included are Mississippi and State Examiner Shad White (right)

In a text message, Favre asked about the “brick and mortar issue,” which the filing describes as his attempt to circumvent a rule that prohibits the use of welfare funds on construction projects like the Southern Miss volleyball arena

Favre, 53, has not been charged in the $77million welfare fraud case that has already resulted in multiple guilty pleas, and he has returned the $1.1million he received for missed appearances and radio commercials .

In December, however, Mississippi filed a new $5 million claim as part of its lawsuit against Favre, saying he used anti-poverty funds to pay for a volleyball arena at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi .

Last week, Mississippi’s Department of Human Services ordered a state judge to ignore Favre’s motion to be removed from the civil case aimed at recovering the misinvested welfare funds.

The scandal is Mississippi’s biggest public corruption case of all time and involves millions in federal welfare being squandered on projects backed by some of the state’s wealthiest and most connected citizens, including Favre.

Favre’s attorneys, including former Donald Trump attorney Eric Herschmann, have argued that the Department of Human Services is suing their client to deflect his own negligence in failing to detect the fraud when it occurred. Favre’s defense team have made two motions asking the judge to dismiss Favre.

Department attorney Kaytie Pickett responded by calling the requests a “long press release” and “dialog” that “the court should ignore.”

Favre’s lawyers did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

This is a photo dated Friday, September 16, 2022 of the volleyball courts at the University of Southern Mississippi Wellness Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The court was built with the help of a $5 million grant from the TANF program

The ministry sued Favre and more than three dozen other individuals and companies last year.

In the filing, the department alleges that $5 million was misspent on a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre’s daughter played the sport at the time, and another $1.7 million to develop the concussion drug.

So far, former department chief John Davis and nonprofit organizer Nancy New have pleaded guilty to the criminal charges.

Despite being paid for radio spots and no-show appearances, Favre claimed not to know where the funds came from.

But White has insisted that is not the case, pointing to recent filings in the state lawsuit to contradict Favre’s defense.

In a text message, Favre asked about the “brick and mortar issue,” which the filing describes as his attempt to circumvent rules that prohibit the use of welfare funds on construction projects like the Southern Miss volleyball arena.

Mississippi’s lawsuit against Favre was filed less than two weeks after a mother and son who run a nonprofit group and educational enterprise in Mississippi pleaded guilty to criminal waste charges. Nancy New (left), 69, and Zachary New (right), 39, agreed to testify against others

John Davis, former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, exits the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse September 22 in Jackson. Davis pleaded guilty to new federal charges in a conspiracy to misspend tens of millions of dollars intended to help needy families in one of the poorest states

But according to state filings: “He was trying to secretly obtain these funds for this purpose anyway.”

“The point is that there are several statements where Favre has stressed the need for secrecy,” White tweeted. “National news has been talking about how Favre said in a text he didn’t want the media to find out. However, this was not a one-off, passing thought. He said it repeatedly.’

Additionally, White explained, the text messages show Favre’s awareness of potential legal issues.

“Favre was aware that there were concerns about the legality of spending that money on a volleyball court. . . [a]And he knew it was necessary to circumvent those rules,” White tweeted.

“Remember, this is the guy who is suing me for defamation for having the audacity to tell taxpayers the truth: that Favre knew he was being paid with public funds and he knows it was a sham .”

If the text messages prove Favre knowingly received federal welfare funds intended for the state’s poor, White, Sharpe and McAfee could use that because the truth is an absolute defense in a libel case.