Former WWE superstar facing 185 years in prison

Former professional WWE wrestler Theodore Dibiase Jr. (better known as Ted DiBiase Jr.) is currently facing a maximum sentence of 185 years in jail after being allegedly involved in what has been described as the largest corruption case in Mississippi history.

As CBS reports, it’s claimed that DiBiase (who is the son of ‘The Million Dollar Man’, Ted DiBiase Sr.) and other co-conspirators managed to obtain federal funds from both The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which they then misappropriated for their own use. Reportedly, $77 million has been misappropriated, all of which was supposed to go towards families in need.

“DiBiase is charged with 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,” a court document released on Thursday (20 April) reads (via CBS).

It’s claimed that DiBiase used the misappropriated money on the down payment of a house, and to buy a boat and another vehicle, amongst other things.

If DiBiase was to face 185 years in prison, he’d need to receive the maximum sentence for each of his charges. As CBS reports, each charge of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years, so he could potentially face 120 years just for those. It’s then a maximum of 10 years for each individual count of money laundering (so in DiBiase’s case, it could add up to a total of 40 years), and the same for both counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds (adding to a maximum of 20 years). Finally, the conspiracy count carries a maximum penalty of five years.

It’s alleged that DiBiase’s father and brother, former WWE stars Ted DiBiase Sr. and Brett DiBiase, were also involved.