Back in 2022, Brett Favre became embroiled in the largest case of public fraud in Mississippi history. He was one of the original 38 defendants named in a civil lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) seeking to recoup Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds that were diverted to the rich and powerful.
An audit found that at least $77 million in welfare funds was misspent.
Over the past four years, District Attorney Jody Owens has led the charge and the criminal prosecution in the Mississippi welfare fraud case, leading to charges against multiple people linked to Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.
Now, all eyes are on him.
Hinds County district attorney Jody Owens is now under FBI investigation as he has become the subject of a criminal federal bribery probe, according to Front Office Sports.
Aside from Owens being investigated, Jackson, Mississippi, mayor Chokwe Lumumba has also been named as a subject of the FBI investigation, which is said to be in its “late stages.”
Per Front Office Sports:
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Multiple council members have also been eyed in the probe, according to one of the sources. On Wednesday, Jackson council member Angelique C. Lee abruptly resigned. Hours later, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Lee on a single charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. The charge carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
According to the indictment, Lee accepted more than $13,000 in cash from two undercover FBI agents posing as Nashville-based real estate developers. One of the agents also spent an additional $6,000 on Lee “at a luxury retail store in the City of Jackson,” according to the indictment.
District Attorney Investigating Brett Favre Gets Raided
Since 2020, former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre has been investigated by prosecutor Jody Owens in connection with the Mississippi Welfare scandal, although he has never formally been charged with a crime.
Others who allegedly helped secure funding for projects that the Hall of Fame quarterback was involved in were charged.
Earlier this year, FBI agents served search warrants at the Hinds County district attorney’s office at Hings County Courthouse as well as the Downtown Cigar Company, a business owned and managed by Jody Owens.
A statement by District Attorney Chief of Staff, Samantha Grant was released and shared on Owens’ social media pages at the time of the raids:
“We are fully cooperating with their efforts. The Hinds County District Attorney’s Office is fully functioning and continues its work on behalf of the citizens of Hinds County. That has been and will continue to be our primary focus. Currently, we have no further statements.”- Samantha Grant, Chief of Staff for Jody Owens.
