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Food Indictment
Food Indictment
FILED
U.S. DISTRICT COURT
EASTERN DISTRICT ARKANSAS
COUNTl
A. INTRODUCTION
1. The Food and Nutrition Service is an agency of the United States Department of
Agriculture (''USDA") which administers the ChildNutrition Programs. The Child Nutrition
Programs include the Child and Adult Care Food Program ("CACFP") and the Summer Feeding
2. The CACFP has an At-Risk Afterschool component which offers federal funding
to afterschool programs that serve a meal and/or snack to children in low-income areas.
3. The SFSP ensures that children in low-income areas continue to receive nutritious
meals during the summer when school is not in session. The At-Risk Afterschool component of
the CACFP and the SFSP are hereinafter referred to as the "Feeding Programs."
5. Sponsors are organizations which participate in the Feeding Programs. Public and
private nonprofit and for-profit organizations can participate as Sponsors in the At-Risk
Afterschool component of the CACFP. However, only nonprofit organizations are eligible to
participate as Sponsors in the SFSP. Sponsors seeking to participate in the Feeding Programs
are required to submit an application to DHS for approval. Sponsors are required to obtain DHS
approval for each Site from which they intend to operate the Feeding Programs.
6. A Site is the location where meals are served under each of the Feeding Programs
during a supervised time period, an:d a Site can include locations such as schools, recreation
7. When Sponsors enter into an agreement with DHS, they acknowledge their
responsibility to oversee the administration of their Feeding Program(s) at their approved Site(s).
8. Based on guidance published by the USDA, DHS has requirements for persons
who are eligible to receive meals under the Feeding Programs ("Eligible Persons") and for meals
that are eligible to be served under the Feeding Programs ("Eligible Meals").
9. Based on guidance published by the USDA, Sponsors must keep and maintain
certain records, which include, but are not limited to, daily site records in order to document the
number of Eligible Meals served and documentation of the allowable operating and
10. In order to receive reimbursement, Sponsors access the DHS website using their
personalized login information and submit data for their Sites, which include the number of
eligible meals served to generate a reimbursement claim ("Claim"). The amount on each Claim
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average daily attendance of each feeding site is calculated by dividing the number of Eligible
participate in each Feeding Program. The budget is made up of Revenues (Claim Amounts),
Operating Expenses (food, food service labor, supplies, rent, maintenance, utilities) and
Administrative Expenses (administrative labor, office rent, office supplies, audit fees,
communication, insurance and legal fees). DHS generally prohibits Sponsors from making
capital expenditures; i.e. vehicles, buildings, and equipment. The Sponsors' budgets are
12. GLADYS ELISE WAITS, f/k/a GLADYS ELISE KING, (hereinafter KING) and
TONIQUE D. HATTON (hereinafter HATTON) worked for DHS and their responsibilities
included processing applications from Sponsors applying to participate in the Feeding Programs
husband.
14. JACQUELINE D. MILLS (hereinafter MILLS) was a Sponsor for the Feeding
Programs through R & J's After-School At-Risk Program (Agreement Number P45) and King
Solomon M.B. Church (Agreement Number TA620), which had approved Sites in cities
including, Blytheville, Cotton Plant, DeValls Bluff, Hazen, Helena, Jonesboro, Marianna,
Marvell, Osceola, West Helena, and West Memphis. MILLS was associated with Lamars Angel
Haven (Agreement Number P169) which had approved Sites in Marvell and Wynne, Arkansas.
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the Feeding Programs beginning in June 2012. Jordan was a Sponsor for the Feeding Programs
through Save Our Youth (Agreement Number TA273) and Save Our Community (Agreement
Number P136), which had approved Sites in cities including Dermott, Dumas, Eudora, and Lake
Village, Arkansas.
a Sponsor for the Feeding Programs through Kingdom Land Youth Outreach Ministries
(Kingdom Land) (Agreement Numbers TA674 and P196), which had approved Sites in cities
including Allport, Altheimer, Coy, England, Humnoke, Keo, Lowell, Scott, Toltec, and Tucker,
Arkansas.
20. KING and HATTON were responsible for approving MILLS' Feeding Programs,
B. THE CHARGE
From in or about August 2011 to in or about August 2014, in the Eastern District of
JACQUELINE D. MILLS,
DORTHA M. HARPER a/k/a DOROTHY HARPER, and
ANTHONY LEON WAITS
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knowingly and intentionally conspired with GLADYS ELISE WAITS f/k/a GLADYS ELISE
KING, TONIQUE D. HATTON, KATTIE LANNIE JORDAN, each other, and others, known to
the Grand Jury, to devise and participate in a scheme to defraud and for obtaining USDA (
program funds by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and
1. MILLS participated as a Sponsor for the Feeding Programs during the school
years 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14 and during the summer months in the years 2012 and
2013.
would be fed and the maximum number of children that would be fed at each Site.
indirectly, beginning in or about January 2012, to DHS employee KING, directly and indirectly,
beginning in or about January 2013 and to ANTHONY WAITS directly beginning in or about
April 2013. The checks to ANTHONY WAITS totaled approximately $23,000. In exchange for
these bribe payments, HATTON and KING, knowing that inflated claims would be submitted,
approved the applications containing a specified number of Sites and a maximum number of
children who would be fed at each Site and helped MILLS avoid DHS's detection of the fraud.
4. During the time MILLS participated in the Feeding Programs, MILLS inflated the
number of Eligible Meals provided, thus claiming more children were fed at her Sites than were
actually fed.
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5. Because MILLS' applications were approved for a specified number of Sites and
a specified number of children, MILLS' inflated Claims were approved and paid by DHS
without further scrutiny. The Claims were approved because the number of Eligible Meals
submitted for reimbursement did not exceed the number which had been approved in the
applications.
6. The Claims by MILLS were submitted through the internet and most Claims,
including those set forth below in Counts 2 - 26, were paid through transfers from the State of
7. Out of the money referenced in paragraph 15, Section A, that MILLS received
from the Feeding Programs, no less than $950,000.00, was transferred to MILLS' personal bank
accounts.
8. JORDAN participated as a Sponsor for the Feeding Programs during the summer
months in the years 2012, 2013, and 2014 and during the school years 2012-13 and 2013-14.
where children would be fed and listed the maximum number of children fed at each Site.
10. JORDAN made payments by check to DHS employee HATTON, both directly
and indirectly, beginning in or about February 2013, and to DHS employee KING directly
beginning in or about February 2013 and to ANTHONY WAITS directly beginning in or about
June 2013. JORDAN also made cash payments to HATTON and KING prior to making the
payments by check. In exchange for these bribe payments, HATTON and KING, knowing that
inflated claims would be submitted, approved the applications containing a specified number of
Sites and a maximum number of children who would be fed at each Site and helped Jordan avoid
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11. On April 9, 2013, JORDAN made one such payment by check number 1093 in
12. On August 31, 2013, JORDAN made one such payment by check number 1287 in
13. On June 24, 2013, JORDAN made one such payment by check number 1283 in
14. During the time JORDAN participated in the Feeding Programs, JORDAN
inflated the number of Eligible Meals served, thus claiming more children were fed at the Sites
15. Because JORDAN's applications were approved for a specified number of Sites
and a specified number of children, JORDAN's inflated Claims were approved and paid by DHS
without further scrutiny. The Claims were approved because the number of Eligible Meals
submitted for reimbursement did not exceed the number which had been approved in the
applications.
16. The Claims by JORDAN were submitted through the internet and most Claims
were paid through transfers from the State of Arkansas which travelled interstate to JORDAN's
bank account.
17. HARPER participated as a Sponsor for the Feeding Programs during the 2013
children would be fed and the maximum number of children that would be fed at each Site.
19. HARPER made payments by cash to ANTHONY WAITS. In exchange for these
bribe payments, KING, knowing that inflated claims would be submitted, approved the
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applications containing a specified number of Sites and a maximum number of children who
would be fed at each Site and helped HARPER avoid DHS's detection of the fraud.
20. During the time HARPER participated in the Feeding Programs, HARPER caused
inflated numbers of Eligible Meals provided to be submitted to DHS, thus claiming more
21. Because HARPER' s applications were approved for a specified number of Sites
and a specified number of children, HARPER's inflated Claims were approved and paid by DHS
without further scrutiny. The Claims were approved because the number of Eligible Meals
submitted for reimbursement did not exceed the number which had been approved in the
applications.
22. The Claims were submitted through the internet and most Claims, including those
set forth below in Counts 27-41, were paid through transfers from the State of Arkansas which
23. Out of the money referenced in paragraph 19, Section A, which HARPER
received from the Feeding Programs, there were personal financial transactions totaling over
$850,000 which included cash withdrawals, transfers to personal accounts, checks written to
Programs who received payments for inflated claims. These Sponsors provided a percentage of
the money received from the Feeding Programs to ANTHONY WAITS. Those Sponsors'
All in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1349 and 3237.
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COUNTS 2-26
Between in or about August 2011 and in or about August 2014, in the Eastern District of
JACQUELINE D. MILLS,
with intent to defraud, voluntarily and intentionally devised and participated in the above
described scheme to defraud and to obtain money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses and
representations, and for the purpose of executing the scheme, caused wire communications to be
transmitted in interstate commerce on or about the dates as set forth below, that is, transfers from
the State of Arkansas which travelled interstate to MILLS' bank accounts in the approximate
amounts as follows:
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COUNTS 27 -41
Paragraphs 1-20 of Section A, Count 1, and Paragraphs 17-23 of Section C, Count 1, are
Between in or about the June 2013 and August 2014, in the Eastern District of Arkansas,
the defendant,
with intent to defraud, voluntarily and intentionally devised and participated in the above
described scheme to defraud and to obtain money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses and
representations, and for the purpose of executing the scheme, caused wire communications to be
transmitted in interstate commerce on or about the dates as set forth below, that is, transfers from
the State of Arkansas which travelled interstate to HARPER's bank account in the approximate
amounts as follows:
COUNT42
On or about the date set forth below, in the Eastern District of Arkansas, the defendant,
JACQUELINE D. MILLS,
corruptly gave, offered, and agreed to give a thing of value to any person intending to influence
and reward GLADYS ELISE KING, a DHS employee, in connection with a transaction and
series of transactions of DHS, an agency of a state government that received federal assistance in
excess of $10,000 during the calendar year 2013, involving $5,000 or more as follows:
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COUNTS 43-51
On or about the dates set forth below, in the Eastern District of Arkansas, the defendant,
JACQUELINE D. MILLS,
corruptly gave, offered, and agreed to give a thing of value to any person, both directly and
indirectly, to wit, checks made payable to TONIQUE D. HATTON and to a third party for her
connection with a transaction and series of transactions of DHS, an agency of a state government
that received federal assistance in excess of $10,000 during calendar years 2012 and 2013,
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COUNTS 52-54
On or about the dates set forth below, in the Eastern District of Arkansas,
JACQUELINE D. MILLS,
the defendant, knowingly engaged and attempted to engage in monetary transactions affecting
interstate commerce, that is, transfers by, through and to a financial institution, the deposits of
which were insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, of criminally derived property
of a value greater than $10,000.00, such property having been derived from the specified
JACQUELINE D. MILLS, shall forfeit to the United States, under 18 U.S.C. 982, all property,
real or personal, that represents or is traceable to the gross receipts obtained, directly or
indirectly, as a result of such violation to include but is not limited to the following:
1. The property and residence located at 648 Beechwood Drive, Helena, Arkansas;
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2. The property, residence and vacant lot located at 430 St. Jean Drive, West Helena,
Arkansas.
JACQUELINE D. MILLS, shall forfeit to the United States, under 18 U.S.C. 982, all property,
real or personal, involved in such offense, or any property traceable to such property, as a result
of such violation.
defendant, DORTHA M. HARPER a/k/a DOROTHY HARPER, shall forfeit to the United
States, under 18 U.S.C. 982, all property, real or personal, that represents or is traceable to the
ANTHONY LEON WAITS, shall forfeit to the United States, under 18 U .S.C. 982, all
property, real or personal, that represents or is traceable to the gross receipts obtained, directly or
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