The fraud trial involving Ted DiBiase Jr. is set to proceed with a newly assigned date.
In our earlier updates, we highlighted how DiBiase Jr.’s fraud trial had to be rescheduled after the reception of several legal petitions a few weeks ago. The hearing was initially reset for August 26th but has been advanced.
According to reports from Pwinsider, the presiding venue, The Mississippi Southern District Court, has slated the next hearing for January 7th, 2025.
Back in April, the charges leveled against DiBiase Jr. included one count of wire fraud conspiracy and theft tied to federally funded programs, six instances of wire fraud, two instances of misappropriation associated with federal funds, and four counts of money laundering. These charges are in direct relation to the Mississippi welfare fraud scandal. Despite the daunting allegations, DiBiase Jr. remains insistent on his innocence.
Although the trial was initially scheduled to start on June 20, the federal government requested an adjournment to ensure adequate time for both parties to review the extensive evidence.
The accusations against DiBiase Jr. revolve around the alleged misappropriation of monies from Mississippi’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
If found guilty, DiBiase Jr. runs the risk of facing a minimum of five years for the conspiracy infraction, up to two decades for each count of wire fraud, and one decade for each count of theft and money laundering.