Mississippi's Ex-Welfare Director, 5 Others Arrested Over 'Massive' Fraud by Bill Chappell NPR Feb. 6, 2020 2:19 p.m. Five other people are also charged in the case. Under former agency director John Davis’ leadership, Families First for Mississippi essentially privatized the state’s anti-poverty plan called “gen+” or “generation plus” in 2016. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File) (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File) Blue bins labeled “fresh produce” in a mock farmers market sat empty. Monitors in the … Mississippi’s former welfare director, ... Special agents from the Office of the State Auditor arrested John Davis, who is the former head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and the others on Wednesday. Those facing charges include former human services director John Davis and Nancy New, who heads the Mississippi Community Education Center. The former state welfare bureaucrat is suspected of masterminding what has been called a “massive fraud.” Five other former Mississippi state welfare agents were also arrested, according to National Public Radio.
FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2016 file photo John Davis, then executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Mississippi Community Education Center’s owner Nancy New and former Human Services director John Davis face public embezzlement charges, according to the office of the State Auditor.
Those facing criminal charges include former Department of Human Services Director John Davis, as well as Nancy New, the leader of the Mississippi Community Education … John Davis worked at DHS for nearly three decades, eventually rising to director in 2016. “The problem with this is there was no accountability,” said Lynn Evans, a retired public interest lobbyist. Davis was the former Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. A downtown Jackson resource center funded by millions of state welfare dollars was quiet Wednesday morning. He resigned in July 2019, at about the same time the auditor's office began its investigation. Court records show former Department of Human Services director John Davis pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Hinds County Circuit Court.