Former WWE star Ted DiBiase Jr has issued a first statement after the verdict of his Mississippi fraud case was released and saw him acquitted of all charges.
DiBiase Jr, the son of Ted DiBiase Sr, was facing a total of 13 charges - one count of conspiracy, six counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft concerning programmes receiving federal funds, and four counts of money laundering - in a long-standing trial.
Through companies, he was accused of "misappropriating millions of dollars in federal safety-net funds" for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
DiBiase Sr was also connected to the trial along with former NFL quarterback Brett Favre. Both deny wrongdoing.
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In a Mississippi welfare case which featured multiple defendants and 38 people being sued by the state of Mississippi over lost funds, DiBiase Jr was the only one involved in a criminal trial, having been alleged to have purchased $1.4 million home, a $55,000 pontoon boat, a $34,000 Kubota tractor and a $40,000 truck as per AL.
He maintained that he did not obtain funds illegally but was potentially facing the rest of life behind bars if found guilty.
However after four hours of deliberation from the jury, the 43-year-old was found not guilty on Friday.
The scandal lasted more than seven years and in a first statement on social media, DiBiase posted a quote from the bible and wrote: "I want to thank Scott Gilbert, Sidney Lampton Morris, and Eric Herschman (attorneys) for believing the truth and fighting for justice **Apparently I didn’t hit the post button yesterday. Haven’t really used social media in 3-4yrs really. But I did cut my grass, and I’m back."
He accompanied the post with a video of him in a suit, mowing his lawn and telling the camera, "God is good, Jesus loves you and so do I, let freedom ring".
After the verdict, he broke down in tears and said he was "thankful for it to be over" and "grateful I get to go home".
A second generation wrestler, DiBiase was on WWE's main roster between 2008 and 2013 and was part of the 'Legacy' faction alongside Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes - winning two tag team titles with the latter.
He left due to family commitments and business aspirations and though he wrestled on the independent circuit for a period, DiBiase retired in 2020.
Josh Lawless