An official for a Missouri nonprofit organization allegedly stole millions of dollars from a program dedicated to feeding low-income schoolchildren, the Department of Justice reported Thursday.
The agency accused 44-year-old Connie Bobo from St. Charles, Missouri, of stealing money intended for New Heights Community Resource Center, where she serves as the executive director.
Bobo is charged with three felony counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and two counts of obstruction of an official proceeding, the DOJ reported.
New Heights Community Resource Center accepted millions of dollars to feed low-income children. The organization provides meals after school and during the summer months to kids in need.
Bobo and the nonprofit falsely claimed to have served three million meals to children between February 2019 and March 2022, the DOJ stated. According to the agency, the organization never purchased or supplied those meals.
“The indictment says Bobo submitted false management plans and falsely claimed that three people were serving on New Heights’ board. It says she submitted budgets that left out the money she was spending on real estate and luxury goods. The indictment also accuses Bobo of forging an invoice from a food vendor to falsely claim that New Heights had purchased hundreds of gallons of milk,” the DOJ said.
The indictment further contends that, based on those fraudulent claims, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services provided Bobo roughly $11 million.
Instead of using the funds to provide meals to children, Bobo allegedly used $4.3 million to purchase homes, including a $1 million property for herself, other residences for relatives, and $2.2 million for a commercial real estate investment, the indictment stated. Bobo also allegedly bought luxury items with the stolen funds and provided her romantic partner with $1.4 million, which was used to purchase a Mercedes-Benz.
The DOJ’s indictment seeks to force Bobo to forfeit the real estate investments and luxury vehicle.
U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming stated, “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.”
“We will seize the houses and luxury vehicles that they buy with those funds, and we will seek punishment that is appropriate for the scale of the crime, which by law includes repayment of the funds,” Fleming added.
The FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General investigated the case.
Bobo did not return a request for comment from the Associated Press.
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