Anna Wolfe answers reader questions about the Mississippi welfare scandal

We requested readers what questions they’d in regards to the Mississippi welfare scandal. Creator of The Backchannel sequence Anna Wolfe answered ten questions. Discover the solutions under.

Q: What number of struggling households didn’t obtain TANF cash as a result of greed of the individuals implicated?

A: It is a nice query, although it’s laborious to quantify. I can say that, in line with the information dive I revealed final fall, between the 4 years of the scandal 2016-2020, the state welfare division obtained 59,785 purposes from households looking for money help and solely authorized 10,136. This was much more pronounced throughout 2016, throughout which the state obtained 11,384 purposes and authorized simply 163, or 1.4%, in line with the information the state submitted to the federal authorities.

The practically 50,000 unsuccessful purposes don’t essentially characterize the variety of households who missed out on the help, as a result of they probably embrace duplicate candidates who submitted a number of purposes throughout this time.

Additionally, as a result of the state has imposed such strict eligibility tips for receiving TANF, a lot of these households wouldn’t qualify to obtain the help regardless. So there’s not a direct correlation between the recognized misspending and other people not receiving the profit.

That is evident by the truth that the low approval fee didn’t begin in the course of the recognized scandal. The variety of purposes the state authorized per thirty days dropped considerably from 875 to 48 in a two-month interval in 2010. Within the 5 years from 2011 to 2016, the state obtained 73,532 purposes for welfare and authorized simply 1,674, or 2.3%. Mississippi shouldn’t be the one state the place that is the case, even right this moment. Approval charges throughout the nation in 2022 ranged from 4.6% in Texas to 100% in Illinois.

This knowledge solely describes the money help facet of TANF — which is barely about 5%-10% of the general program in Mississippi. The state spends the remainder of its TANF block grant on different supposed anti-poverty packages or plugging state finances holes. The misspending from 2016-2020 occurred on the service-provider facet of TANF. However the federal authorities solely requires the state to compile knowledge in regards to the households receiving money support, not the households receiving other forms of help, comparable to after college packages, parenting courses or workforce improvement. Because of this if there have been significant packages going down earlier than the welfare fraud scheme — earlier than the state consolidated its grants and pushed the funding by way of the 2 now disgraced nonprofit administrators — we will’t quantify the variety of households who missed out on these packages in the course of the scandal.

Q: Why does nobody see the true welfare scandal? It’s practically not possible for individuals to actively obtain tanf advantages. In Warren County, there are solely 5 social employees on the MDHS workplace. Every employee has over 800 instances. TANF employees are used to reply telephones and take messages for employees. There aren’t any present openings on the Mississipp State Personnel Board for the Warren County MDHS workplace. Many instances are being closed as a result of the employees can not work every SNAP or TANF case within the required time interval. Why are the precise legislation makers not being held accountable for the misappropriation of Mississippi tax {dollars}? Why has the Mississippi State Personnel Board been allowed to mistreat it’s workers?

A: One other nice query that pertains to the earlier reply. I haven’t achieved reporting on the ground-level work being achieved in Warren County’s welfare workplace, however I’d love to listen to extra of those direct accounts at awolfe@mississippitoday.org.

In a narrative I revealed in February, I analyzed greater than 60 items of laws that might be thought of a part of the agenda of defending life and serving to deprived households thrive, together with a dozen payments aiming to reform public help packages. Most of them died.

State lawmakers have dedicated no crime that I’m conscious of by imposing stringent guidelines on public help packages or chopping state budgets to an unmanageable stage. The best way these officers are held accountable is by the general public on the poll field.

Q: What can we learn about how TANF funds are getting used right this moment? Is there any signal that extra households in want are receiving help now vs. just a few years in the past?

A: Actually, Mississippi is offering money help to fewer poor households right this moment than it was in the course of the scandal. The state continues to push out subgrants to nonprofits and different authorities entities to run the identical sorts of packages now we have for years — after college packages, parenting initiatives, and so on. — however we’re leaving tens of tens of millions unspent. You possibly can learn extra about that right here.

Q: Are the suitable businesses investigating the larger fish who allowed this to occur? If not, what are you able to inform us about it?

A: The FBI continues to be investigating the welfare fraud case. The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace is prosecuting. The unique investigator, the State Auditor’s Workplace, and the unique prosecutor, the Hinds County District Lawyer’s Workplace, each say they’re persevering with to work on the probe with their federal companions. All defendants who’ve been charged within the case (except a decrease stage MDHS worker who entered pre-trial diversion) have pleaded responsible and are cooperating with the investigation. None of them have been sentenced, which generally implies that the authorities are nonetheless utilizing them for info and as potential witnesses of their ongoing case. Gov. Phil Bryant oversaw the welfare division and his appointed director, John Davis, in the course of the time the fraud scheme befell. A minimum of three of the legal defendants, Nancy New, Zach New and Christi Webb, and a number of other civil defendants, together with Brett Favre, Paul Lacoste and Austin Smith, have made statements in court docket or to the press alleging Gov. Bryant was conscious of or sanctioned sure spending that’s now the topic of the scandal. Bryant has not been charged criminally or civilly. The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace is presently led by an interim U.S. lawyer. President Joe Biden’s nominee for the place, present Division of Justice deputy chief Todd Gee, not too long ago obtained approval from Mississippi senators and is awaiting affirmation by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Q: Which is worse, the wealthy asking for and receiving federal {dollars} stolen from the poor, or stealing {dollars} from the poor and giving it to the wealthy?

A: I’m unsure, nevertheless it appears to me, in each instances, the impact is similar for impoverished Mississippians who had been disadvantaged of the help.

Q: What about Marcus Dupree?

A: Earlier than the auditor launched his audit in 2020, we broke the story about Nancy New’s nonprofit overlaying the $9,500-month mortgage on a Flora horse ranch, successfully buying the property for former operating again Marcus Dupree. The Marcus Dupree Basis, which claims to supply equestrian companies to underprivileged youth, technically bought and owned the property, however Dupree was utilizing it as his non-public residence. Dupree was additionally incomes a six-figure wage from every of the Households First for Mississippi nonprofits. Auditor Shad White issued the demand towards Dupree in October of 2021 and Dupree was named in MDHS’s lawsuit in Could of 2022. In his response to the civil lawsuit, he denied all allegations towards him.

Q: Why didn’t Shad White’s workplace arrest Phil Bryant? His workplace has brokers that arrest individuals on a regular basis. This truth ought to be constantly broadcasted to make sure White isn’t elected to workplace once more.

A: The State Auditor’s Workplace makes an arrest in the middle of an investigation when a prosecutor, usually a neighborhood district lawyer, has secured an indictment towards a person. Within the case of the welfare scandal, Auditor Shad White’s workplace turned over info to the Hinds County District Lawyer’s Workplace that prompt Nancy New, John Davis and others had dedicated a criminal offense, and when the Hinds County grand jury handed down an indictment, White’s workplace made the arrests. We’re unaware of an indictment towards former Gov. Phil Bryant.

Q: Relating to the fee made to and later refunded by Favre; did Favre make any appearances or minimize any commercials? Was there proof that he ever declined an invite to talk or minimize commercials?

A: Favre minimize a radio advert for Households First for Mississippi which ran within the fall of 2018, a number of months after he obtained two funds underneath the contract totaling $1.1 million. The disagreement between Favre and State Auditor Shad White, who issued the 2021 demand for Favre to repay the funds, lies with the phrases of that contract, which had been stored from the general public for over two years till Mississippi At present revealed it final fall. The Scope of Work of the contract mentioned that Favre would converse at three talking engagements, minimize a radio spot and supply one keynote speech. The auditor decided that Favre didn’t attend any occasions or ship a keynote, and Favre has by no means mentioned that he did. Favre argues that he was by no means scheduled for these actions, however the auditor doesn’t allege that Favre was, simply that he didn’t carry out the work outlined within the settlement. You possibly can learn extra about that right here. Because the civil case has progressed, we’ve realized that the problem with the $1.1 million fee might not be whether or not he carried out the work or not, however the objective for which he obtained the cash within the first place. Textual content messages not too long ago launched clearly illustrate that the nonprofit funneled the cash by way of Favre as a technique to push extra funding to the development of the volleyball stadium at College of Southern Mississippi, however Favre didn’t use the cash for the challenge, in line with his spokesperson.

Q: Right here we go once more….

“Whereas $1,100,000 was paid primarily based on a contract for public appearances, and Favre did document a radio commercial, the fee was supposed, as requested by Bryant, to assist Favre elevate funds for building of the Volleyball Facility,” reads New’s October submitting within the civil case.

When you had been being non-biased, you’ll have gone again and skim the textual content messages. They’ve been produced. They clearly present that Favre and Nancy talked about this and…. even assuming Nancy shouldn’t be mendacity… at finest the argument she makes is that the “Wow, I simply received off the cellphone with Governor” textual content is her telling Bryant in regards to the concept, not Bryant requesting it. That quote from the pleading actually is senseless. Does that make sense to you? I might have at the very least identified the inconsistencies in New’s arguments right here which lend doubt to the credibility of this, particularly given Bryant and Favre each say that’s not true and the entire different texts with Nancy and Governor Bryant about this till the proposal are about having a fundraiser on the mansion. Utilizing our brains and never our political motives… let’s simply tryyyyyy to make the story sound like you’re after the reality. I’m rooting for you right here.

A: The paragraph you cited is a direct quote from a court docket submitting from Nancy New. It alleges that the fee New made to Favre was each 1) supposed to assist pay for building of the volleyball stadium and a couple of) directed by former Gov. Phil Bryant. This was related to incorporate in my newest story as a result of Favre’s staff is now saying that Favre didn’t put any of the $1.1 million he obtained from New in direction of the volleyball stadium. He as a substitute continued to foyer others, together with different public entities, for the funds.

I believe we perceive there may be much more we don’t but know, however we additionally discover it worthwhile and newsworthy to report on these allegations, particularly since Bryant has objected to turning over all of his messages with the related figures — notably with Brett Favre and John Davis — to the general public. It’s additionally vital to notice that the textual content messages aren’t going to be the one supply of proof within the ongoing case. In different phrases, simply because somebody didn’t put one thing in writing doesn’t imply it didn’t occur (absence of proof shouldn’t be proof of absence). These sorts of statements from key witnesses give some perception into the details they’d be keen to testify to throughout a possible trial. That’s why they’re, on their very own, essential items of proof within the case. It’s our job to make that info accessible to the general public.

Q: When the entire reality lastly comes out, will Ms. Wolfe be keen to publish an apology and proper The Backchannel articles if it seems that she was really flawed? I might assume to save lots of face MS At present should at the very least acknowledge the reality. I notice it’s inconsistent with the Let’s Go Brandon (Presley) effort however assuming you’re really nonetheless making an attempt to faux you’re a authentic information supply, I might assume it might be essential. Now that each one feedback have been turned off to the general public, I can’t wait to see which of them Ms. Wolfe selects to reply. Within the phrases of Willy Wonka (since MS At present appreciates the world of pure creativeness), “The suspense is horrible. I hope it lasts!”

A: We don’t chorus from publishing info we all know to be true — together with attributed allegations — for years on finish till each single particular person concerned decides to talk. If that had been the usual to publish a narrative, we might not have revealed a single story on the welfare scandal in three years. We might be blissful to concern a correction for any credible challenges to the accuracy of the reporting — and please ship them our manner. Within the meantime, we are going to proceed publishing new info because it turns into accessible, as now we have achieved for the previous three years.