A nonprofit organization owner was indicted Wednesday on charges of fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million in funds intended to feed low-income Missouri children. The indictment alleges that the fraud occurred both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cymone McClellan, 31, of St. Louis, was charged in U.S. District Court with four felony counts of wire fraud. McClellan owned and operated a nonprofit called Sisters of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.). According to the indictment, between January 2019 and June 2022, McClellan and her nonprofit submitted false meal reimbursement claims to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
The claims were made under the Food and Nutrition Programs for Children, with S.O.L.R. asserting that it served 860,876 meals to children. However, the indictment claims that McClellan purchased only enough food to serve less than one-quarter of those meals, resulting in over $2 million in fraudulent claims to the state.
McClellan allegedly attempted to conceal the fraud by submitting fabricated sign-in sheets that falsely documented the attendance of meal recipients at certain distribution locations. Additionally, S.O.L.R. provided DHSS with management plans claiming that state meal reimbursement funds were solely used for meal provisions for low-income children and were not used for purchases over $5,000. However, the indictment states that McClellan spent $60,000 on a house down payment in Collinsville, Illinois, and also bought five vehicles and a house in Florissant, Missouri.
The indictment further claims that one of the locations where McClellan claimed meals were being prepared for low-income children was an adults-only nightclub called Elmo’s Love Lounge.
The indictment seeks the forfeiture of McClellan’s real estate, as well as five vehicles, including a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, a 2012 Chevrolet Express G3500 van, a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris van, a 2012 Ford E350 box truck, and a 2018 Lexus RX SUV.
It is important to note that charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and McClellan is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The wire fraud charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman leading the prosecution.
