The United States Federal Government are attempting to seize the $1.5 million home of former WWE superstar Ted DiBiase Jr in Madison, Mississippi, according to a report from ABC News.
The report notes that while DiBiase Jr is not accused of a crime, federal agents stepped in to prevent him from selling his home, which was a week away from the sale being completed, with the reasoning behind the United States Federal Government attempting to seize the home stemming from an audit into the Mississippi Department of Human Services after arrests were made in February 2020 in one of the largest embezzlement scandals ever in the history of that office, which saw direct connections to the DiBiase family as DiBiase Jr’s brother and former WWE superstar Brett DiBiase was listed among those indicted as part of the scandal.
It is alleged that Brett DiBiase was given funds to go to a drug treatment facility in Malibu that was earmarked for Mississippi’s welfare programs and according to documents, Brett was allegedly given the money as payment for classes that he did not teach for drug abuse.
The Associated Press at the time followed up on the connection with the DiBiase family, based on a revelation that WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase’s non-profit religious organization, the Heart of David Ministries had reportedly received more than $2.1 million in welfare from the State of Mississippi after Brett began working for the State, revealing that the non-profit religious organization had received just $5,000 in grants in 2013, but received $271,000 in welfare money the same year that Brett was hired as a senior official at the Mississippi Department of Human Services and in one year, not revealed, had received as much as $900,000.
The report at the time noted that Heart of David Ministries spent all of the $2,126,739 that it had received from May 2017 through earlier this budget year, with Ted DiBiase Sr. paid $84,517 as the President of the Organization. The report also revealed that the Heart of David Ministries pledged, in a 2018 contract, to establish a network of partnerships, services and resources throughout Mississippi communities for faith-based and self activities, however there is no word as to how that money was actually used, as at the same time that it was receiving money from the State of Mississippi, 98% of welfare requests were being turned down by the State, with the non-profit religious organization these days no longer receive any aid from the State of Mississippi.