A former director of Mississippi’s welfare agency has pleaded guilty to misspending tens of millions of dollars meant for needy families.
John Davis, former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, followed by his attorney Merrida Coxwell, right, leaves the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. Davis pleaded guilty to new federal charges in a conspiracy to misspend tens of millions of dollars that were intended to help needy families in one of the poorest states in the U.S. part of the largest public corruption case in the state's history.
In state court Thursday, Judge Adrienne Wooten asked Davis to explain why he had allowed the department to squander money for the needy. In response to one of many questions from Wooten, Davis said Brett DiBiase was his friend. Davis also said he used “very, very bad judgment" in spending public money.Wooten gave Davis a 90-year sentence with 58 of those suspended and 32 to serve. She put Davis on house arrest until his federal sentencing, set for Feb. 2. He faces up to 15 years on the federal charges.“I look forward to hoping that this portion of your life is behind you," Reeves said.
The federal charges say Davis conspired with four other people, who are not named. Court documents describe two of the alleged conspirators as executive directors of organizations, one as the owner of two companies and one only as a resident of Hinds County, Mississippi. The capital city of Jackson is in Hinds County.
The messages showed discussions about millions of dollars in welfare money being directed to a pet project of Favre — a volleyball facility being built at the University of Southern Mississippi. Favre, Bryant and New all attended the university, and Favre's daughter started playing volleyball there in 2017. Favre and Bryant have not been charged in the welfare misspending case.
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