Stay up to date with notifications from TheĀ Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Senate confirms Mississippi US Attorney, putting him in charge of welfare scandal prosecution

The U.S. Senate has confirmed a new U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi

Michael Goldberg
Friday 29 September 2023 22:21 BST
Mississippi US Attorney
Mississippi US Attorney (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed a U.S. attorney in Mississippi who will oversee the largest public corruption case in the stateā€™s history.

President Joe Biden nominated Todd Gee for the post overseeing the Southern District of Mississippi in September 2022. His nomination stalled until April, when both of Mississippiā€™s Republican U.S. Senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, had indicated they would support his nomination. Gee was confirmed Friday in an 82-8 vote, with all votes against him coming from other Republicans.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi has overseen prosecutions related to a sprawling corruption scandal in which $77 million of federal welfare funds intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S. were instead diverted to the rich and powerful. The former head of Mississippi's Department of Human Services and former nonprofit leaders have pleaded guilty to state and federal charges for misspending money through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

The scandal has ensnared high-profile figures, including retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who is one of more than three dozen defendants in a lawsuit that the current Human Services director filed to try to recover some of the welfare money.

In a statement posted on social media Friday, Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, whose office investigated the scandal, said federal prosecutors decide whom to charge, and his relationship with them would not change.

ā€œThe appointment of Mr. Gee changes nothing in our posture," he wrote. "We will continue to work with federal prosecutors to bring the case to a conclusion.ā€

Since 2018, Gee has served as deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section of the United States Department of Justice, according to a White House news release. He was also an assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia from 2007 to 2015.

Darren LaMarca had been serving as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi since his predecessor, Mike Hurst, resigned after President Joe Biden's election in 2020. Hurst was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Itā€™s common for federal prosecutors to resign when the administration changes.

___

Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in