Show-Me State Times

The owner of a nonprofit in St. Louis has been indicted on charges of fraudulently obtaining over $2 million meant for feeding low-income children in Missouri. Cymone McClellan, 31, faces four felony counts of wire fraud.

According to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court, McClellan ran a nonprofit organization called Sister of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.). From January 2019 to June 2022, she allegedly submitted false meal reimbursement claims to Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). The indictment states that S.O.L.R. claimed to have served 860,876 meals but only purchased enough food and milk for less than one-quarter of those meals. This resulted in more than $2 million being fraudulently obtained from the state.

To conceal her actions, McClellan allegedly provided fake sign-in sheets to DHSS and submitted false management plans asserting that the funds were used solely for providing meals to low-income children. She is accused of spending $60,000 on a house down payment in Collinsville, Illinois, and purchasing five vehicles and another house in Florissant, Missouri.

One address where McClellan claimed food was prepared belonged to an adults-only nightclub named Elmo’s Love Lounge.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of several assets including real estate properties and multiple vehicles: 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 set forth in an indictment are merely accusations; every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted on wire fraud charges, McClellan could face up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or both.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is prosecuting the case.

Anyone with information about pandemic-related fraud can contact the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submit details via their Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.