Cody Rhodes’ Ex-WWE Partner Faces 45-Year In Prison, Major Case Update
A former WWE tag team partner of Cody Rhodes could be facing decades in prison.
Fans of WWE know 40-year-old Ted Dibiase Jr. from his time as a wrestler on the main roster from 2008 to 2013. At that point, at the age of 30, Dibiase chose not to renew his WWE contract and walked away from the life of a pro wrestler that he grew up with as the son of the “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase.
DiBiase Jr. is best remembered in WWE for being the tag team partner of Cody Rhodes, winning the World Tag Team Championship together on two occasions and joining Randy Orton to form the group, Legacy.
Ex-WWE Star Facing Years In Prison If Found Guilty
Back in April 2023, the United States Department of Justice issued a press release stating that DiBiase Jr. was officially being indicted, alleging that he used funds allocated for welfare to buy a boat and put a down payment on his house, as well as other personal expenses. If DiBiase Jr. is found guilty, he could face decades in prison:
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.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud count, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and for each count of money laundering.
On December 5th, a pre-trial hearing took place in the Mississippi Southern District Court where the judge sought to set a clear timeline for the trial.
Key filings for DiBiase’s legal team and the prosecution are to be filed with the court by December 16th, with the trial set to start on January 6th, 2026.
The indictment alleges DiBiase used his companies, Priceless Ventures LLC and Familiae Orientem LLC, to obtain at least five fraudulent contracts from the Mississippi Department of Human Services.