Mississippi ex-governor expected stake in firm that got welfare money, says woman convicted in fraud

abcnews.go.com:

A person who previously pleaded guilty in a welfare misspending case in Mississippi is making new allegations about former Gov. Phil Bryant

JACKSON, Miss. — Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said at a party weeks before leaving office that he had been offered a financial stake in a company that received welfare money to try to develop a concussion drug and was connected to retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre, according to a new court filing by a person convicted in a welfare misspending case.

Nancy New had a close working relationship with Favre and Bryant while the Republican was governor, and she made the allegation about Bryant in court papers Monday. New said that at a 2019 Christmas party, Bryant talked about Jake Vanlandingham, founder of the Florida-based biotech company Prevacus.

“Governor Bryant got excited and told me that Jake had offered him ‘half the company,’ which I understood to mean a substantial amount of stock, but the Governor said he was going to have to wait until he was out of office to accept,” New wrote.

The Associated Press left a voicemail message Wednesday at a number affiliated with Vanlandingham. He did not immediately respond.

Denton Gibbes, a spokesperson for Bryant, said the former governor cannot comment on New's allegations because a judge issued an order in 2020 to prevent prosecutors, defense attorneys and others from publicly discussing the criminal case against New.

“If there wasn't a gag order in place, we'd forcefully respond,” Gibbes said Wednesday. “We'll let our libel action against Mississippi Today speak for us.”

Bryant filed a lawsuit in July against Mississippi Today, saying the online news organization had defamed him in its coverage of welfare misspending that