Fraud apparently runs in the family of Christian speaker Ted DiBiase, a former World Wrestling Federation fighter whose character, The Million Dollar Man, was all about wealth and greed. His golden championship belt was adorned with dollar signs.
In real life, DiBiase claimed he was now “fulfilled by his relationship with Jesus Christ and his family.” But he and his two sons fraudulently collected more than $6 million to deliver speeches and presentations — work they never completed, Mississippi authorities say.
Back in May 2020, a Mississippi state audit found that some $94 million in federal block grants intended to help the state’s poorest residents instead went to dozens of well-connected friends and family members, including DiBiase and his two sons as well as former NFL quarterback Brett Favre.
The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson called it “Mississippi’s largest embezzlement scandal on record.”
“Money meant to help poor Mississippians was instead used to buy expensive cars, sponsor a college baseball tournament, hire family members of a top state official and pay Brett Favre for speeches he never gave,” wrote Clarion-Ledger reporter Luke Ramseth.
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Favre denied the charges against him, tweeting, “I would never accept money for no-show appearances, as the state of Mississippi auditor, @ShadWhite, claims.”
The state, however, has ordered Favre to return $828,000.
It also has ordered the DiBiases to return the welfare money by this week or face civil charges. The DiBiases were also asked to return funds for work they failed to perform:
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$722,299 from Ted DiBiase’s Heart of David Ministry, which received more than $2 million from the state
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$225,950 from Brett DiBiase, who was paid to deliver drug abuse classes at the time he was in an expensive drug rehab program in Malibu and has also been indicted on charges of stealing $48,000 in welfare funds
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$3.903 million from Ted DiBiase Jr., who followed his father into wrestling but since 2017 has worked as a motivational speaker, textbook salesman and insurance broker
MinistryWatch reported in May 2020 that the Mississippi Department of Human Services had halted direct cash assistance to low-income households that been accused of misusing public welfare, and instead spent funds on programs designed to help people in one of the poorest states in the U.S. achieve self-sufficiency.
In October, The Washington Post reported reported that $77 million had been misspent, with $41 million going to questionable expenditures, such as luxury travel and a new volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre’s daughter played volleyball.
Heart of David Ministry was founded in Madison, Mississippi, in 1999, and has participated in events sponsored by Promise Keepers. Prior to receiving state money, it had annual revenues of $100,000 to $200,000. State funding caused income to rise to $386,086 in 2017 and $942,249 in 2018.
MinistryWatch reached out to the ministry, but did not receive a response.
A bio for Ted DiBiase Sr. says he is a spokesperson for and board member of The Sunshine Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill and handicapped children. It’s not clear if he still represents the foundation.
The title of the inspirational autobiography DiBiase wrote for Multnomah in 1997 now seems eerily revealing: “Every Man Has His Price.”
This piece is republished from MinistryWatch and has been updated to include the statement from Favre.
Steve Rabey is a veteran author and journalist who has published more than 50 books and 2,000 articles about religion, spirituality, and culture. He was an instructor at Fuller and Denver seminaries and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
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8 Responses
Your tax dollars at work.
The article is very sensational but cites no real evidence, an actual indictment narrative, or any response from Brett Favre. Allegations are not necessarily true or completely factual. If the hook here is “purported Christian crooks”, what do the Elders of their churches say? Are they under church discipline? Lots of smoke and no fire. The Roy’s Report is irresponsible for running this poorly presented sensationalist article.
In this story, Steve Rabey is relying on the investigation conducted by state authorities, who have announced their ruling (not allegations) and handed out penalties. Also, it should be noted that Brett DiBiasi , Ted’s son, pleaded guilty to charges of fraud last year.
We have, however, added Favre’s statement, which he issued on Twitter.
The link you gave is Ted’s son Brett who pleaded guilty yet you wrongly said it was Ted.
Thank you for your comment. It’s corrected now.
In other church whistleblower blogs, every time they expose church corruption they get flooded with Defenders of the Faith defending the ManaGAWD and denouncing the blog. Usually with names or handles that never appeared in the comments before, accusations of fraud, lying, gossip, slander, etc all delivered in fluent Christianese.
Note the use of the term “church discipline” which is commonly used by abusive/corrupt control freak churches and self-deified Pastor Superapostles.
P.S. 94 MILLION? Biggest Embezzlement Scandal in Mississippi History?
One thing you’ve gotta admit is this guy did NOT think small.
Go Big or Go Home.
So John exactly what do you get out of this challenging the article. I suppose if someone hurt a member of your family or defrauded them you would remind them to not say anything because “innocent until proven guilty”? Favre knew he was getting paid and not doing anything. Christians like these we don’t need in our lives anymore.
When I see a rich guy taking the salary of an ordinary pastor and using his wealth to fund small churches to maintain their infrastructure and mission, I’ll be persuaded they are Christian. Until then….I will suspect we have an ‘eye of needle’ problem.