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The following was issued:
State Auditor Shad White Issues Statement on DiBiase Trial
While I’m disappointed in the result of the trial, nothing changes the fact that seven people have already pleaded guilty to state or federal charges because of the welfare scandal. My hope now is that the state’s lawyers will be able to recover as much of the misspent money as possible in civil court so hard-working taxpayers can see some accountability for what happened here.”
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Ted DiBiase Jr.'s attorney Scott Gilbert told The Clarion Ledger, "People need to understand everybody's case is different, The facts for each of these other defendants who pled guilty are different from Teddy. They were not similarly situated at all. They all had a much broader base of knowledge and experience about these funds and how they were going to be used, and Teddy trusted those folks to guide him in the right direction. And unfortunately, it got him in a difficult spot. I'm sure there are plenty of things Teddy would do differently now, if he had the chance to do it again."
DiBiase Jr., 43, faced 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. The trial ran for several weeks with 20 witnesses and at one point, was paused due to a medical emergency related to DiBiase's primary attorney. The court declined several attempts by DiBiase to have a mistrial declared.
The jury deliberated for four hours Friday before determining DiBiase was not guilty on all charges.
A civil lawsuit attempting to recoup funds from DiBiase and others is still making its way through the courts.
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