Former Governor Phil Bryant accused in fraud scheme

According to a new court filing, former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant instructed his wife’s friend, whose nonprofit was receiving millions from the welfare department, to pay Brett Favre $1.1 million.

Nancy New alleges Bryant directed this and other spending, resulting in a massive scandal and what officials call the largest public embezzlement scheme in state history.

New and her son pleaded guilty to several criminal charges, agreeing to cooperate in an ongoing criminal investigation as part of their plea.

This court filing marks the first time Bryant has been directly and publicly accused of wrongdoing by the main defendants in the case.

New has rejected the notion that John Davis, Bryant’s appointed welfare agency director, was a rouge state bureaucrat who chose to misspend millions.

Instead, the News and her nonprofit say MDHS is more at fault.