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Mississippi Department of Human Services, the agency bringing the lawsuit, is prepared to hire Jackson-based law firm Jones Walker to replace Pigott on the case. Reeves confirmed as much, saying he believed Pigott, a semi-retired former President Bill Clinton appointee, was the one with a political agenda. Pigott, who had been on the civil case for a year and filed the suit in May, told Mississippi Today he believed his firing was political.

State and federal authorities reached their plea deal with New days after Mississippi Today’s series finished publishing in April. Bryant’s involvement in the scandal and one of the defendants in both the civil and criminal cases, nonprofit founder Nancy New, alleged that Bryant directed her to pay Favre. Mississippi Today’s investigation “The Backchannel” provides evidence of former Gov. There are separate criminal cases against six defendants, four of whom have pleaded guilty and agreed to aid prosecutors in the ongoing state and federal criminal investigations. The suit is based on a forensic audit that found $77 million worth of fraud or misspending. The suit targets 38 individuals or companies, including former NFL quarterback Brett Favre and three retired WWE wrestlers, in an attempt to claw back about $24 million in misspent funds from a federal block grant called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, which is supposed to serve the state’s poorest residents. “It is an abuse of power for Governor Reeves to direct litigation in which he is a necessary party defendant.” “It is an abuse of power for Governor Reeves to frustrate a state agency’s collecting monies owed it in order to protect his financial supporters,” wrote Waide, the Tupelo-based attorney representing Davis’ nephew Austin Smith, who received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the agency during his uncle’s administration. Reeves’ staff had already forced Pigott to remove the athletic foundation, whose board is made up of many Reeves supporters and campaign donors, from the suit before he filed it. Bryant oversaw the welfare department when the scandal occurred. Attorney Brad Pigott, after the attorney attempted to subpoena the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation for its communication with, among others, former Gov. The Reeves administration also recently fired the attorney bringing the welfare suit, former U.S. Tate Reeves inspired welfare payment targeted in civil suit, texts show

Reeves’ wishes when he funneled over $1 million to Reeves’ fitness trainer, a defendant in the suit. The texts show former welfare director John Davis, who is facing criminal charges in the welfare scandal, said he was fulfilling then-Lt. Tate Reeves is controlling the case to protect himself and his supporters.Īfter Mississippi Today uncovered text messages Friday that connect the current governor to the funding of a defendant in the case, attorney Jim Waide argued Monday that Reeves should be a target of the lawsuit - not in charge of it. A defendant in Mississippi’s civil lawsuit to recoup millions in misspent welfare money is asking the court to examine whether Gov.

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