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- WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase, AKA “The Million Dollar Man,” and his two sons have been ordered to repay millions in misappropriated welfare funds following an embezzlement scandal.
- More than $77 million intended to assist families in Mississippi was instead spent illegally or misappropriated in an embezzlement scheme.
- More wrestling news here.
Back in the day, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase went by the nickname “The Million Dollar Man.” Now, “The Million Dollar Man” and his sons Ted DiBiase Jr. and Brett DiBiase are being ordered by the state of Mississippi to repay millions of dollars they received in an embezzlement scheme.
According to the Mississippi Free Press, Ted DiBiase, Sr. must pay back $722,299 that his Christian ministry, Heart of David Ministries, received in illegal payments, DiBiase’s retired WWE wrestler son, Brett DiBiase, owes $225,950, and DiBiase’s other son, Ted DiBiase, Jr., also a retired WWE wrestler, owes $3.9 million.
“Two nonprofits, the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) and the Family Resource Center (FRC), either misspent or improperly dispersed portions of that $77 million, meaning the money was ultimately misspent by a vendor to the nonprofit,” Mississippi State Auditor Shad White said in a statement. “As a result, the board and leadership of MCEC were served with a demand for $68.159 million. FRC’s board and leadership were served with a demand for $15.549 million.”
Ted DiBiase Jr. reportedly received almost all of the $3.9 million he owes (which includes interest) as a motivational speaker for the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
Also listed among the famous names to have benefited from this embezzlement scheme are Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre’s business Favre Enterprises, which owes the state of Mississippi $828,000, and former NFL running back Marcus Dupree, who owes $789,534 that was paid to his foundation.
MississippiToday.com reports, “Favre paid $500,000 to the auditor’s office shortly after the news broke, but failed to pay the remaining $600,000. The athlete refused to answer any of Mississippi Today’s questions about why he received the contract, what he performed for Families First, or where the remaining money was. He offered a short explanation to his Twitter followers before blocking this reporter on the platform.”
The $828,000 figure includes the $600,000 Favre has failed to repay to the state of Mississippi plus interest.