Mississippi News
Welfare depositions postponed after attorney’s termination
State postpones long-awaited welfare depositions after attorney’s termination
Mississippi is postponing its interrogation of defendants in the welfare department’s civil suit — an unsurprising development following the abrupt removal of the private attorney on the case and Gov. Tate Reeves’ recent lukewarm statements on the litigation.
The suit, filed in May, currently attempts to recoup $24 million in misspent federal grant funds from 38 people or companies who benefitted from the funds, including NFL legend Brett Favre, three retired WWE wrestlers, and two other former football players. The attorney who brought the complaint, Brad Pigott, had recently scheduled depositions for 13 people between August and November.
The depositions were expected to be the first public questioning of those responsible for diverting at least $77 million in federal welfare funds away from the needy, according to independent audits, since the scandal broke more than two years ago.
Four out of six people arrested on criminal charges in 2020 related to the scheme have pleaded guilty, meaning they will have no trial, while the remaining two are likely still seeking plea agreements.
A federal investigation is ongoing, but the civil suit, which comes with more leeway to gather information, has the potential to produce many more answers for the public than the criminal cases.
“As you are likely aware, the MDHS is in the process of bringing in new outside counsel to function as lead counsel for the Plaintiff. Brad Pigott is no longer representing MDHS … In light of this development, MDHS requested that I postpone the previously noticed deposition schedule,” Assistant Attorney General Stephen Schelver wrote to the attorneys of defendants in the case Tuesday. “All current deposition settings by MDHS are postponed, effective immediately.”
MDHS did not release publicly that it was seeking new outside counsel until after it told Pigott he would no longer be working on the case, indicating that the agency did not make the decision to transition to other counsel in advance.
“While MDHS had been considering entering into another contract for Pigott to continue to represent MDHS, Pigott was notified on Friday that MDHS would simply allow his current contract to expire and would not be entering into another contract,” MDHS said in a July 23 statement after the news of Pigott’s removal broke.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, Reeves inserted himself into the MDHS civil case, explaining how the state selected who it would include as defendants. MDHS and Pigott had originally wanted to sue University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation, which received $5 million in TANF money to build a volleyball stadium on campus on behalf of Favre. But the governor’s office directed Pigott to remove USM before filing the complaint.
When Pigott subpoenaed the athletic foundation for its communication with figures in the case, as well as with former Gov. Phil Bryant and his wife Deborah Bryant, that’s when the agency canned him.
MDHS Director Bob Anderson’s statement said the decision to change attorneys “does not indicate any change in the commitment of MDHS to recover these TANF funds for taxpayers.”
In a new statement Wednesday, MDHS said it is “actively working” to hire another attorney or law firm, which must be approved by the Attorney General’s Office.
“Once in place, MDHS expects to move forward in an expeditious manner with the civil case, including the resetting of depositions on a schedule to be determined once the agency has selected and retained new counsel,” the statement reads.
The agency did not provide a timeline for retaining new counsel other than, “we hope to get a new attorney in place soon.”
On July 25, Anderson sent an email to his staff with the agency’s original media statement.
“I wanted you to have the benefit of the agency’s position as stated in our press release. I am sharing this with you in the spirit of my ongoing efforts a full transparency as your executive director,” he said in the email, obtained by Mississippi Today.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Attorneys file motion to delay Jackson bribery trial
SUMMARY: In connection with the Jackson bribery scandal, attorneys for federal officials and local leaders filed a motion to postpone the trial to allow time for extensive evidence review, including hours of recordings and thousands of pages of documents. Key figures charged include Hinds County DA Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, and Councilman Aaron Banks, each facing multiple counts of conspiracy related to bribery and fraud. The scandal involves alleged bribes amounting to over $80,000 related to a downtown development project, facilitated by individuals posing as real estate developers working with the FBI.
The post Attorneys file motion to delay Jackson bribery trial appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Family of Dexter Wade rallies outside JPD nearly two years after his death
SUMMARY: Nearly two years after Dexter Wade’s death, his family continues seeking justice. On November 20, Dexter Wade Day was observed in Jackson, declared by Councilman Kenneth Stokes. Wade, hit by a Jackson police cruiser in March 2023, was later found in a pauper’s grave in Hinds County, and his mother, Bettersten Wade, was unaware of his death until August 2023. She believes his death was covered up. No arrests have been made, and authorities consider it an accident. Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade expressed condolences and shared updates on new policies to prevent similar tragedies.
The post Family of Dexter Wade rallies outside JPD nearly two years after his death appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Man shot while helping with stalled vehicle in Jackson
SUMMARY: A man was shot in Jackson, Mississippi, while attempting to assist a person with a stalled vehicle on State Street at Beasley Road around 4:00 p.m. on November 20. Detective Tommie Brown reported that the victim was working on the vehicle when the suspect approached, questioned him, and then opened fire. The assailant fled the scene in a vehicle. Fortunately, the victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. The Jackson Police Department is seeking information about the incident and encourages anyone with details to contact them or Crime Stoppers.
The post Man shot while helping with stalled vehicle in Jackson appeared first on www.wjtv.com
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