New Trial Date Set In Ted DiBiase Jr’s Welfare Fraud Case

A new trial date has been scheduled in the case of wire fraud and more against Ted DiBiase Jr. PWInsider reports that the judge in the case set a trial date of July 16th, 2024 during a hearing yesterday in Mississippi. A pre-trial conference is set for June 21st, 2024 and the judge ruled that the jury instructions, witness list, and exhibit list are due by July 12th.

As reported, DiBiase Jr. was charged in April with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, six counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and four counts of money laundering in the Mississippi Welfare fraud scandal. He has pled not guilty and the trial was originally scheduled to start on June 20th before the government filed a motion asking for a delay due to the massive amount of discovery that both sides needed to review.

The charges are related to the scandal regarding misappropriation of funds from the Mississippi Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. If convicted, DiBiase Jr. faces maximum penalty of five years for the charge of conspiracy, a maximum of 20 years for each wire fraud count, and a penalty of 10 years for each count of theft and each count of money laundering.