Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is accused of receiving money that should have gone to the poorest of the poor.
The state's auditor calls it Mississippi's largest public corruption case in two decades.
He's best known as an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback.
A civil lawsuit filed in Favre's home state of Mississippi accuses him of using his fame to illegally divert welfare dollars from the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families Anti-Poverty Program.
Along with more than 30 defendants and businesses named in this lawsuit, Favre is accused of squandering $3.2 million, and another $1.1 million with his company, Favre Enterprises.
Bob Anderson, executive director for the Mississippi Department of Human Services, warns this is only the beginning.
"We'll be evaluating each step of the path, whether there are other parties, whether there's additional sums and who else and what else needs to be apart of this lawsuit," Anderson said.
Web extra: Bob Anderson, executive director for the Mississippi Department of Human Services, speaks about the next steps.
The civil complaint accuses Favre of being paid with the grant money meant for the poor, for autographs and four speeches he never performed.
In a Tweet back in 2020, Favre responded to the allegations, writing in part, "I have never received monies for obligations I didn't meet." He added, "I was unaware that the money being dispersed was paid for out of funds not intended for that purpose..."
Favre has repaid the money, but the Mississippi auditor's office told TMJ4 News by phone Tuesday, he still owes $228,000 in interest.
"Our job now is to see that that money gets back into the state coffers so that we can benefit those needy families who were supposed to benefit from this money in the first place," said Anderson.
Favre's business partner, Jake Vanlandingham is also named in the suit for $2.1 million. In that instance, the lawsuit claims the welfare grant money was used to invest in two companies developing a concussion treatment drug in 2019. Favre has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.
Read the full complaint here:
