That price was $48,000 for his son. Brett DiBiase was also a former wrestler and admitted Thursday to his involvement in the defrauding of Mississippi’s welfare agency. This latest development is part of a larger embezzlement scheme, which the state auditor’s offices calls the most extensive in state history. DiBiase is a Clinton, Mississippi, native and now serves as a witness for the state in this case. He fraudulently obtained $48,000, which is just 1% of the $4.15million prosecutors claim that nonprofit officials and agency officials stole. It also represents a fraction of the $94million in welfare agency mispending the auditor discovered. DiBiase was one of six people arrested for making false statements before Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green. This crime can result in a maximum five-year sentence and a $10,000 fine. The district attorney’s office accepted DiBiase’s cooperation and agreed to drop another conspiracy charge against him, 32. It also recommended that the judge delay sendingencing. Mississippi Today was told by Jody Owens, Hinds County District attorney. “He’s a local guy.” “This case cannot be made without factual witnesses. Owens stated that he believes DiBiase is credible and that he may not be sentenced to jail. The district attorney mentioned that there could be additional guilty pleas from the five other defendants. He said that he expected to bring the cases of Nancy New, former nonprofit owner and John Davis, who were both defendants in the case, to trial in 2021. The former wrestler claimed that he was back in rehab after DiBiase failed to complete the “drug addiction” training the Mississippi Department of Human Services paid him upfront in 2018. DiBiase didn’t complete his contract during his four month stay at the Malibu, California luxury treatment facility. However, he claimed he kept the money. The state claimed that DiBiase and Davis, as well as Latimer Smith, a state employee, “covered up by tricks” that DiBiase had not actually performed the work for which he was being paid. Davis and Smith pleaded guilty to the charges of their alleged involvement. Nancy New, the founder of Mississippi Community Education Center, Zach New, her son, and Ann McGrew, the nonprofit’s accountant, pleaded not guilty in indictments alleging they conspired for $2 million in human services funds to be converted to their personal businesses. The News are also accused of investing $2.15 million in personal investments in Prevacus, a biomedical startup company, and its affiliate PreSolMD. A state audit and indictments also claim that Mississippi Community Education Center, which hired DiBiase, was primarily funded through a federal grant called Temporary Aid for Needy Families. They used state grant funding for $160,000 to pay for his drug treatment. Owens stated that officials did not indict DiBiase for any crime related to the purchase. They do not believe that he was involved in the payment. The indictment against DiBiase, former director of human services, alleged that Nancy New and Davis conspired to fund the rehab stay. Thursday’s indictment against DiBiase stated that he had presented a $5,000 check and the first installment of his repayment of $48,000 to the court. READ MORE: What made a welfare group pay $5 million for a stadium for volleyball? Only one person, out of many welfare recipients who were questionable, has returned the money that he or she was given. Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre was awarded $1.1 million by the New nonprofit for promotional work. The auditor’s office found no evidence that he performed the work. The funds were promised by Favre to be repaid. He has since returned $500,000 to his auditor’s office where it is in a custodial bank. Favre, a prominent Mississippi sponsor of Prevacus, is also where the News allegedly funneled public money. All of the fraud was committed at the Mississippi Department of Human Services. This agency answers to the governor and was under the administrations of Davis, former Gov. Phil Bryant. Bryant appointed Davis to be the agency’s chief in 2016. New, who is accused of most of the thefts, said to reporters that she was directed by someone to pay Prevacus’ founder. However, she wouldn’t say who. Owens stated that while we are aware that wrongs were committed that we cannot prove, we also know that they do not pass the smell test. “And our hope that more people will come forward, which is what they are… that we can get that missing piece.”_x000D