It was nearly three years ago now that Ted DiBiase Jr. found himself in federal hot water, having been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, seven counts of money laundering, and three additional counts as related to his role in the Mississippi welfare funds scandal. Since then, DiBiase Jr.'s trial has been slow to come together, though that changed this week when word emerged the trial was set to begin on Wednesday.
PWInsider reports that, in fact, the trial officially started on Tuesday, beginning with jury selection. Today, opening statements were made by the prosecution; no mention was made regarding whether DiBiase Jr.'s lawyers had an opening statement as well, suggesting that will be occurring in the next few days. Whatever fate awaits DiBiase, it seems it will be decided quickly, as it was noted the trial is only expected to last three weeks. If convicted of all charges, DiBiase could be looking at several decades in prison.
DiBiase Jr. is one of several high profile defendants in the scandal, including his brother, Brett DiBiase, his father, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase, and former Green Bay Packers quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre. Former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, John Davis, a long time friend of DiBiase Sr., is alleged to have given over $3.5 million in funds from the department to DiBiase Jr.'s companies, Priceless Ventures LLC and Familiae Orientum, as well as $2 million to a nonprofit company owned by DiBiase Sr.
Having pled not guilty to all charges, DiBiase Jr. is the only one of the alleged conspirators to currently stand trial. His brother Brett previously pled guilty to making fraudulent statements regarding the welfare scandal back in 2020, and again pled guilty in 2023 on the charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States; he faces up to five years in prison depending on sentencing
