Current:Home > FinanceMissouri nonprofit director stole millions from program to feed needy kids, indictment alleges-LoTradeCoin
Missouri nonprofit director stole millions from program to feed needy kids, indictment alleges
View Date:2024-12-24 00:25:56
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The executive director of a Missouri nonprofit stole millions of dollars from a program intended to provide meals for low-income children, according to a federal indictment announced Thursday.
Connie Bobo, 44, of St. Charles, Missouri, was indicted on three counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and two counts of obstruction of an official proceeding.
Bobo is executive director of New Heights Community Resource Center in the St. Louis suburb of Bridgeton. The nonprofit accepted funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and administered by the state to feed low-income school-aged children after school and during the summer, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services paid out about $11 million from February 2019 to March 2022, after Bobo submitted reimbursement claims stating that the organization served nearly 6 million meals. The indictment said New Heights purchased only enough food and milk to serve less than 3 million meals.
Instead, according to the indictment, Bobo used the money to buy a home worth nearly $1 million, bought homes for relatives and used $2.2 million of the money on a commercial real estate investment. She also gave nearly $1.4 million to a romantic partner who spent $211,907 of the funds on a Mercedes-Benz, the indictment stated.
Bobo could face more than 20 years in prison if convicted, and prosecutors are seeking reimbursement, including forfeiture of the homes and the SUV.
A message left on Bobo’s cellphone on Thursday wasn’t immediately returned. Calls to New Heights were met with a message saying the calls can’t be completed. Bobo does not yet have an attorney, according to federal court records.
“This indictment shows that we will aggressively pursue those who defraud a program intended to feed needy children, and those who exploited loopholes created by a global pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said in a statement.
In 2022, federal prosecutors in Minnesota charged nearly 50 people in connection with a scheme to steal more than $250 million from a federal program designed to provide meals to low-income children in Minnesota. Ten additional people were charged in that scheme in March.
veryGood! (28216)
Related
- Ex-Duke star Kyle Singler draws concern from basketball world over cryptic Instagram post
- Tour de France results, standings: Tadej Pogačar invincible with Stage 20 victory
- The Terrifying Rebecca Schaeffer Murder Details: A Star on the Rise and a Stalker's Deadly Obsession
- Julianne Hough Influenced Me to Buy These 21 Products
- AP Top 25: Oregon remains No. 1 as Big Ten grabs 4 of top 5 spots; Georgia, Miami out of top 10
- Former U.S. paratrooper and rock musician gets 13 years in Russian prison on drug charges
- Summer House's Lindsay Hubbard Reveals Sex of First Baby—With Help From Her Boyfriend
- Rescue teams find hiker who was missing for 2 weeks in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge
- A Pipeline Runs Through It
- Delta Air Lines says cancellations continue as it tries to restore operations after tech outage
Ranking
- Taylor Swift touches down in Kansas City as Chiefs take on Denver Broncos
- Sheila Jackson Lee, longtime Texas congresswoman, dies at 74
- A fire severely damages the historic First Baptist Dallas church sanctuary
- Miss Kansas called out her abuser in public. Her campaign against domestic violence is going viral
- Top Federal Reserve official defends central bank’s independence in wake of Trump win
- Trump's appearance, that speech and the problem with speculating about a public figure's health
- Gwyneth Paltrow Shares What Worries Her Most About Her Kids Apple and Moses
- Trump's appearance, that speech and the problem with speculating about a public figure's health
Recommendation
-
Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
-
Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line duo announces 'Make America Great Again' solo single
-
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
-
Sheila Jackson Lee, longtime Texas congresswoman, dies at 74
-
Republican Gabe Evans ousts Democratic US Rep. Yadira Caraveo in Colorado
-
Suspect arrested in triple-homicide of victims found after apartment fire in suburban Phoenix
-
Summer TV game shows, ranked from worst to first
-
8.5 million computers running Windows affected by faulty update from CrowdStrike