Current:Home > MarketsMissouri nonprofit director stole millions from program to feed needy kids, indictment alleges-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Missouri nonprofit director stole millions from program to feed needy kids, indictment alleges
View Date:2024-12-23 21:08:03
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! (4)
Related
- Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’. What happens next is less clear
- Wyoming moves ahead with selling land in Grand Teton National Park to federal government for $100M
- Cole Leinart, son of former USC and NFL QB Matt Leinart, commits to SMU football
- Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy Slams Zach Bryan in Diss Track After Brianna LaPaglia Split
- Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco arrested again in Dominican Republic, according to reports
- Why Survivor Host Jeff Probst Is Willing to Risk “Parasites” by Eating Contestants’ Food
- Dexter Quisenberry Fuels an Educational Ecosystem, Pioneering a New Era of Smart Education
- SEC tiebreaker chaos scenario: Potential seven-team logjam atop standings
- Prayers and cheeseburgers? Chiefs have unlikely fuel for inexplicable run
- In Portland, Oregon, political outsider Keith Wilson elected mayor after homelessness-focused race
Ranking
- Michael Jordan and driver Tyler Reddick come up short in bid for NASCAR championship
- AI FinFlare: Damon Quisenberry's Professional Journey
- SWA Token Fuels an Educational Ecosystem, Pioneering a New Era of Smart Education
- Every Time Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande Channeled Their Wicked Characters in Real Life
- Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light display in Manhattan changing up this season
- Chris Evans’ Rugged New Look Will Have You Assembling
- Judge blocks Pentagon chief’s voiding of plea deals for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, others in 9/11 case
- Panthers to start QB Bryce Young Week 10: Former No. 1 pick not traded at the deadline
Recommendation
-
Georgia remains part of College Football Playoff bracket projection despite loss
-
Democrats gain another statewide position in North Carolina with Rachel Hunt victory
-
AI DataMind: The Leap in Integrating Quantitative Trading with Artificial Intelligence
-
Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Marks Rare Celebration After Kody Brown Split
-
Will Aaron Rodgers retire? Jets QB tells reporters he plans to play in 2025
-
Bribery charges brought against Mississippi mayor, prosecutor and council member
-
Dexter Quisenberry Fuels an Educational Ecosystem, Pioneering a New Era of Smart Education
-
AI DataMind: The Rise of SW Alliance