Brett Favre Repays $600K in Mississippi Welfare Fraud Case

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre repaid $600,000 in state welfare money this week

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre repaid $600,000 in state welfare money this week after previously accepting money for speeches where he didn't appear as part of a fraud scheme. 

According to the Mississippi auditor, Shad White, Favre could still be sued if he does not pay Mississippi the remaining $228,000 in interest that he owes.

On October 12, White sent the former Packers star a letter demanding $828,000 as part of the scheme, saying it was the outstanding balance that Favre owed after he was improperly paid $1.1 million in welfare funds in December 2017 and June 2018.

White said that Favre received the money from the Mississippi Community Education Center in speaking fees for appearances he did not make. In May of 2020, White said Favre repaid the first $500,000. 

Favre is not facing criminal charges and has said he didn't know the money he received came from welfare funds. 

He said in a series of tweets last May that he had donated nearly $10 million to "underserved and underprivileged children in Mississippi and Wisconsin" and that he "would certainly never do anything to take away from the children I have fought to help!" 

"I love Mississippi and I would never knowingly do anything to take away from those that need it most," Favre wrote.

Allegations of misspending within the state came to light in 2020 when former Mississippi Department of Human Services director John Davis and five others were indicted in one of the state's largest embezzlement cases, per the Associated Press.

Favre retired in 2010, concluding a nearly 20-year career which saw him make 11 Pro Bowl appearances, win three MVP awards and one Super Bowl.