Latest news with #ChildandAdultCareFoodProgram
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man lavishly spent $900,000 intended to help feed hungry Pennsylvanians
(WHTM)– A New York man was sentenced to 41 months in prison after spending nearly $900,000 in federal funds distributed by Pennsylvania meant to feed qualifying children and adaults for his personal use. According to the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Darrell Devonish, 53, of New York, New York, was sentenced to prison for wire fraud and money laundering. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The U.S. Attorney's office said Devonish's non-profit Rebuilding Better Communities received $1,074,328.45 in federal funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Devonish spent nearly $900,000 of funds on himself. The money from the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program was meant to provide meals to Pennsylvanians in need. The U.S. Attorney's office said Devonish used funds to buy $175,000 worth of jewelry, $45,000 to finance a Mercedes and a Jeep Wrangler, $75,000 on clothing, $12,000 on liquor, $100,000 on travel and entertainment, and $220,000 in cash withdrawals. 'The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program(SFSP) were created to provide food and nutrition to those who truly need this assistance. Thosewho are involved in fraud and abuse of USDA feeding programs will be investigated by ouroffice to protect the integrity of these programs,' said USDA Office of Inspector General,Special Agent-in-Charge Charmeka Parker. The attorney's office said Devonish will pay $883,518.33 in restitution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Defunct nonprofit run by Mark Robinson's wife misses deadline to pay more than $100,000 owed to NCDHHS
RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) — A shuttered North Carolina nonprofit run by the former lieutenant governor's wife has missed the deadline to pay money owed to the state or submit an appeal. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, a final decision was issued in the case of Balanced Nutrition Inc.'s disallowances on March 24. are deductions or monetary benefits that a person or organization files for but is not entitled to. When a disallowance is found during an audit, the individual or organization must give back the amount of money that was granted by the disallowed deduction or benefit. Balanced Nutrition Inc.'s disallowances are separate from the , which deal more with operational issues rather than financial issues. The document, which is 25 pages long, outlines the steps that the NCDHHS took to determine how much money Balanced Nutrition Inc. owes after it improperly assessed and represented its services of connecting child care centers with federally funded meal programs. Their initial disallowance was calculated at $132,118.86, but, upon appeal and review, that amount was adjusted to $101,142.05, and the Office of Administrative Hearings' final decision affirmed that amount. After the final decision, a demand letter was sent to Balanced Nutrition Inc. on March 26, giving them 30 days to pay the money. As of April 28, no money has been paid, NCDHHS confirmed on Monday morning. Additionally, the window for BNI to appeal the final decision closed on April 23, and no appeal was received. Mark Robinson drops CNN lawsuit, says he will not seek elected office in future Balanced Nutrition Inc., which was closed by Yolanda Hill in 2024 during her husband's failed gubernatorial campaign, was officially terminated by NCDHHS on April 24. Hill, along with other people involved with BNI, including Renee Matthews-Jones and Hill's daughter Kimberly Cephas, are now disqualified from working with NCDHHS's Child and Adult Care Food Program. Hill, Matthews-Jones and Cephas are noted as being 'responsible for the serious deficiency' for which the NCDHHS cited BNI during its closure. In the final decision, the Office of Administrative Hearings notes Hill's concern that the scrutiny on BNI was politically motivated, which it disputes. The final decision also noted that a review consultant texted others working on the compliance review, claiming that Hill 'had lied about being married to Lt. Governor Mark Robinson and lied about her son being on the budget.' The consultant apologized for that text, and, while OAH describes the comments as 'grossly inappropriate,' the final decision states that it did not seem to have any bearing on the findings of the nonprofit's review. Hill's nonprofit, as 'a private nonprofit organization dedicated to helping child care providers make the most out of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The food program is our only business. Our staff has over twenty-plus years of experience working with CACFP, making us well-qualified to serve the providers and the children in their care.' The nonprofit was scheduled to face a compliance review on April 15, 2024, but, on the morning the review was supposed to take place, NCDHHS received word from Balanced Nutrition Inc.'s attorney stating 'Balanced Nutrition and Mrs. Hill respectfully decline to meet with NCDHHS officials without the presence of counsel. Furthermore, we are not available this week.' Documents provided by the state characterize Hill and others as uncooperative with this review. The scheduled compliance review, conducted by NCDHHS following the set USDA federal policy, is a standard review for all organizations participating in the North Carolina Child and Adult Care Food Program. Per federal regulations, reviews are conducted every two to three years at a minimum, depending on the size of an institution and previous findings. The standard 2022-2023 review of Balanced Nutrition, Inc. resulted in findings, according to NCDHHS, leading the agency to request that Balanced Nutrition, Inc. complete a corrective action plan to address those findings. 'Balanced Nutrition, Inc. completed the corrective action plan and NCDHHS put the organization back on the review schedule for the next Federal fiscal year to ensure continued compliance with state and federal rules,' NCDHHS said. Balanced Nutrition Inc. filed to terminate its agreement with the NCDHHS on April 30, 2024. Nevertheless, the nonprofit was still beholden to the scheduled compliance review despite the agreement termination, according to the NCDHHS. The nonprofit had been told on March 1, March 18 and April 1, 2024, about the upcoming compliance review and what documents nonprofit leaders would need. In documents obtained by CBS17, Hill said that the compliance review felt like an attack, writing, 'As an organization, there are numerous things that have happened and been documented that makes us feel as if we are the target of some type of vendetta, be it personal or political.' Robinson's campaign took this perspective as well, characterizing the investigation and subsequent findings as a political attack directly tied to Robinson's gubernatorial aspirations. The campaign accused because then-gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein's wife, Anna, worked as a legal specialist for the Chronic Disease and Injury Section of the NCDHHS's Division of Public Health. The notice of serious deficiencies was sent to Balanced Nutrition Inc. on July 24, the NCDHHS wrote that it identified 'Yolanda Hill, Kimberly Cephas, and Renee Matthews-Jones as responsible for the serious deficiencies as a result of their responsibility for the overall management of Balanced Nutrition, Inc. operations.' 'The state agency was permitted to begin the review on Balanced Nutrition, Inc., on April 22, 2024, and was able to make copies of some requested documents. However, Balanced Nutrition, Inc. did not provide all requested documents,' according to NCDHHS. NCDHHS says it tried to contact Balanced Nutrition, Inc.'s employees, including Hill, to schedule an exit interview 'by email, telephone, and written communication, with no response.' 'A letter dated June 14, 2024, was sent to Balanced Nutrition, Inc., requesting three dates and times that an institution representative would be available to participate in an exit conference. Balanced Nutrition, Inc. was unresponsive,' NCDHHS documents said. Noncompliance issues include the 'USDA nondiscrimination statement was not listed on the menus for all centers. Menus that were posted and obtained from Apple Tree Wee School, Inc. did not have this statement included,' 'no documentation on file to verify that sponsoring organization staff received annual Civil Rights Training within the last twelve months,' and 'monitoring records were missing; Income Eligibility Applications were missing; enrollment documents were missing.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Keith Ellison's meeting with those involved in Feeding Our Future before FBI raids: What really happened
The Brief The nearly hour-long recording is an unused defense exhibit from Aimee Bock's federal trial. A meeting between Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and several future Feeding Our Future defendants took place in December 2021. They ask for his help dealing with alleged racist actions by state agencies. House Republicans accuse Ellison of soliciting campaign donations. The recording does not support that. Rather, he is repeatedly offered contributions and later receives them, but he never asks and deflects offers by saying this is not about his campaign. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Item number 710 on Aimee Bock's defense exhibit list from her recent federal trial is an audio recording of a meeting with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Bock's defense attorney, Kenneth Udiobok, didn't use it during the trial because no one from Ellison's office testified for the government, therefore it was not relevant. He also didn't think it would do anything to prove Bock's innocence. But he does think it's important for what he believes it depicts. "The chief law enforcement officer of the state of Minnesota," said Udoibok, "weeks before the investigation went overt, his expression showed that he did not believe Feeding our Future or Aimee Bock was involved in any fraudulent activity." The recording doesn't necessarily suggest Ellison didn't believe fraud was occurring. ather, it sounded like he was unaware of any investigation into fraud. What we know Udoibok said he got the recording from Aimee Bock, but is not certain who recorded it. He provided a copy to FOX 9. The recording is a meeting he says took place in December 2021, just one month before the FBI raided Feeding Our Future and related properties and made their investigation public. The group included several of those who were later found guilty or pled guilty to fraud-related charges. They identified themselves as the Minnesota Minority Business Association. They begin by complaining that East African businesses are facing racism by state agencies, telling Ellison they "create unnecessary roadblocks and hurdles and at times conduct business in a very racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic manner." Ellison sympathizes and offers to make some calls, saying that "just getting the question, just getting the inquiry from the AG is sometimes enough to make people knock it off." But for the first 14 minutes of the meeting, the federal meal program is not mentioned. What happens next When the group finally gets around to the federal meal program and Feeding Our Future, Ellison is unclear what they're talking about. "And for example," one man says, "one of the biggest issues facing in our community is the CACFP and how the Department of Education…" Ellison interrupts: "Wait a minute, what is that?" "Child and Adult Care Food Program," he is told. For more than 20 minutes, they explain the food program, how the USDA funds come through the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), down to sponsors and vendors and meal sites. And they complain that MDE continues to drag their feet on approvals and reimbursements, and they want Ellison's help. Ellison expresses surprise, despite this being weeks before the FBI investigation becomes public knowledge, which the AG's office is taking part in. "I'm telling you," Ellison says, "this has not come to my attention until now, really." Repeatedly throughout the meeting, Ellison is told they want to contribute to his campaign, "putting our dollars in the right place and supporting candidates that fight to protect our interests." Ellison never asks for money. Rather, he deflects the offers by saying he's meeting with them as AG, not a candidate. "Of course, I'm here to help," he says. "Let me be clear, I'm not here because I think it's going to help my re-election." But about a week later, Ellison's campaign did receive several contributions from some of those present. Ellison later returned contributions from those who were indicted. What they're saying In the wake of the recording being made public, Minnesota House Republicans issued a statement, saying "It's disturbing to learn that Attorney General Ellison met with and offered verbal support to criminal defendants at the heart of the largest pandemic fraud scam in the country." For clarity, the meeting occurred 10 months before any indictments. When charges did come in September 2022, a news release from Ellison's office said they'd been involved in the investigation for two years. It also said the FBI had repeatedly asked that the AG and MDE not disclose the existence of the investigation to anyone so as not to tip anyone off. In a statement to FOX 9, Ellison's office said that he was unaware who he was meeting with: "AG Ellison was asked to sit down with a friend that day, Imam Mohamed Omar. When the AG arrived, he was surprised to find others present but agreed to meet with them. It is a shame that these fraudsters tried to exploit the Attorney General's good-faith engagement, but they were not successful. Nothing happened as a result of the meeting."
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine sues USDA over funding freeze
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey (D) sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Monday over the agency's recent decision to withhold federal funds from the state over its refusal to comply with the Trump administration's orders to ban transgender athletes from girl's and women's sports in schools. The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine alleges the USDA's funding freeze is 'blatantly unlawful' and hampers the state's ability to feed schoolchildren who rely on nutrition assistance programs. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, named in Monday's lawsuit, said in announcing the freeze on Wednesday that the action would affect funding only 'for certain administrative and technological functions in schools' and would not affect federal feeding programs. Rollins wrote in a letter to Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), with whom President Trump has publicly clashed over the state's noncompliance with his executive order on transgender athletes, that the pause in funding 'is only the beginning.' The USDA did not immediately return a request for comment. Monday's lawsuit argues that, despite Rollins saying otherwise, the agency's funding freeze has impacted programs that feed children in the state. On Thursday, the day after Rollins sent her letter to Mills, the Child Nutrition program, housed within Maine's education department, 'was unable to access several sources of federal funds,' according to the lawsuit, including administrative funds that pay the salaries of individuals who run statewide initiatives like the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which provides meals for young children and at-risk kids outside school hours and adults in adult day care programs. Without those funds, 'providers will have to cease operations and children (and vulnerable adults) will not be fed,' according to the lawsuit. The complaint also claims that the USDA violated the Administrative Procedure Act by not formally informing Maine that it was not in compliance with Title IX, as Rollins alleged in her letter, before freezing federal funds. It also did not investigate, hold a hearing, make findings on the record or submit a report to Congress, violating the law. The lawsuit adds that Rollins 'provided no legal basis for her interpretation of Title IX, and her interpretation is wrong.' 'Indeed, several federal courts have held that Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause require schools to permit transgender girls and women to play on girls' and women's teams,' the complaint states. Last month, following investigations Mills has called 'politically directed,' the departments of Education and Health and Human Services found Maine to have violated Title IX, the federal law against sex discrimination that the Trump administration has interpreted to prohibit transgender athletes from female sports. The Education Department last week issued what it called a 'final warning' to Maine's state department of education before it turns the investigation over to the Justice Department. In a statement Monday, Frey said the administration is withholding funds that help feed children in Maine 'under the banner of keeping children safe.' 'This is just another example where no law or consequence appears to restrain the administration as it seeks capitulation to its lawlessness,' he said. 'The President and his cabinet secretaries do not make the law and they are not above the law, and this action is necessary to remind the President that Maine will not be bullied into violating the law.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine sues Trump administration in 1st case involving Title IX dispute
Apr. 7—Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to withhold federal funds because Maine law allows transgender athletes to compete in girls high school sports. Frey's office said funds withheld by the Trump administration are used to feed children in schools, child care centers and after-school programming, as well as disabled adults in congregate settings. It is the first lawsuit to directly result from the Trump administration's actions targeting Maine over transgender athletes in women's sports that stem from a confrontation between the president and Gov. Janet Mills in February. "Under the banner of keeping children safe, the Trump administration is illegally withholding grant funds that go to keeping children fed," Frey said in a written statement. "This is just another example where no law or consequence appears to restrain the administration as it seeks capitulation to its lawlessness. The president and his Cabinet secretaries do not make the law and they are not above the law, and this action is necessary to remind the president that Maine will not be bullied into violating the law." The suit filed in the U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor comes less than a week after USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the agency was freezing its funding to Maine for certain "administrative and technological functions in schools." The letter Rollins sent to Mills on Wednesday did not specify how much money has been frozen or what programs it will impact. Though Rollins' letter said the freeze would not impact programs providing food to children, the Maine Department of Education said Friday that it had lost access to funds for administrative staff overseeing the feeding programs. Critics said even though the USDA is continuing to provide reimbursements for the school meals themselves, the program will struggle to feed children without those workers. The Maine DOE was "still working to determine the extent" of possible impacts to other funds, including grants supporting its Child and Adult Care Food Program, Farm to School state formula grant, equipment assistance grant and technology funds, spokesperson Chloe Teboe said in an email Monday. The Trump administration is arguing that Maine policy on transgender athletes violates the federal Title IX law because it violates the rights of women and girls. "You cannot openly violate federal law against discrimination in education and expect federal funding to continue unabated. Your defiance of federal law has cost your state, which is bound by Title IX in educational programming," Rollins wrote in the letter. "This is only the beginning, though you are free to end it at any time by protecting women and girls in compliance with federal law." Frey, however, argues that Rollins has not provided any legal basis for her interpretation of Title IX, which would exclude transgender women from women's sports. "And her interpretation is wrong," Frey said in the complaint. "Indeed, several federal courts have held that Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause require schools to permit transgender girls and women to play on girls' and women's sports." Frey also said that the USDA failed to adhere to federal rules requiring certain steps to take place before the agency can revoke funds. "Instead, without any prior notice, investigation, administrative proceeding, or other semblance of legally sufficient process, the secretary simply sent a letter to Maine's governor announcing the freeze," Frey wrote in the complaint. That procedural failing renders the question of how to interpret Title IX irrelevant in this instance, Frey states. He requested the court vacate Rollins' order and institute a preliminary or permanent injunction to stop the freeze of additional funding. Frey also requested a temporary restraining order blocking Rollins and the USDA — the defendants named in the suit — from freezing or terminating other federal funds "without complying with the legally required procedures." Danna Hayes, spokesperson for the Office of the Maine Attorney General, said she did not know when the next steps would take place in the court proceedings. She said that Maine was alone in filing this lawsuit, unlike several previous cases against the Trump administration, in which Maine joined broad coalitions of states. The USDA did not return requests for comment Monday. Maine has been the target of multiple federal investigations, many hinging on Title IX, following a public clash between Mills and President Donald Trump at the White House in February. At the event, Trump called out Mills and demanded she comply with his executive order designed to bar transgender athletes from women's sports. Mills said she would follow the law, to which Trump countered that "We are the federal law." "See you in court," Mills said. Maine's allowance of transgender women to compete stems from the Maine Human Rights Act, which has included some form of protections for individuals' gender identity since 2005. The law currently prohibits discrimination in education "and all extracurricular activities" on the basis of one's gender identity. Staff Writer Riley Board contributed reporting. Copy the Story Link
