Former WWE star Ted DiBiase Jr.'s ongoing criminal trialhas changed its course, following a motion filed for a mistrial before The U.S. District Court, Southern District of Mississippi, earlier this week.
Obtaining the court reports of this motion, PWInsider noted that the reason for this abrupt decision is because DiBiase's lead defense attorney, Jason Scott Gilbert, is dealing with medical issues that's being ruled as a "sudden, medical incapacitation," meaning there's uncertainty of how long or how soon Gilbert will return to court to continue the trial. U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves, who is presiding over the case, asked the defense when they would like for the trial to resume, to which the defense said no less than three months. Hearing both sides of the argument, prosecutors pointed out that DiBiase has two additional attorneys on his team, and that the case should proceed. DiBiase's co-counsel argues that they have not reviewed the massive amount of material related to the case as Gilbert has.
In an updated report from the Clarion-Ledgerthis past Wednesday, Judge Reeves ultimately ruled that the trial will continue, adding that a mistrial is unnecessary, and that DiBiase's other attorneys can take over. Reeves continued the trial until Monday, February 23.
The former two-time World Tag Team Champion, along with several co-conspirators, is accused of fraudulently pocketing federal funds, including money from the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in Mississippi. DiBiase is accused of using those funds for personal pleasure by buying a vehicle, a boat, and putting a down payment on a house. If convicted, he could face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and for each count of money laundering.
