A St. Louis nonprofit executive is accused of defrauding the state of Missouri out of more than $2 million intended to feed low-income children during and before the pandemic. Cymone McClellan, 31, was indicted on four felony counts of wire fraud, as per the United States Attorney’s Office.
According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, McClellan’s nonprofit, Sister of Lavender Rose, allegedly claimed to serve hundreds of thousands of meals to children, but records show food was purchased for only a small part of the nearly 860,876 meals claimed. McClellan is accused of submitting false claims for meal reimbursements from January 2019 to June 2022.
The charge states that to hide her actions, McClellan provided the Department of Health and Senior Services with fake sign-in sheets, claiming to record attendance for meal distributions that never occurred at legitimate food distribution sites. One of the locations she claimed as a food preparation site was actually an adults-only nightclub, which she allegedly purchased with illicit funds.
Funds that were supposedly intended for charitable purposes were allegedly used by McClellan for personal expenses, including a house down payment and several vehicles. Reports suggest she owned a luxury fleet, including a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse and a 2020 Mercedes-Benz Metris van, which are included in the indictment, as mentioned by the United States Attorney’s Office.
If convicted, McClellan faces serious penalties for her alleged misuse of government funds. The wire fraud charges carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, fines of up to $250,000, or both. These serious accusations do not prove guilt, and McClellan is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. The investigation, led by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, as stated by the United States Attorney’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office invites anyone with information about pandemic fraud to contact the Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or report through the National Center for Disaster Fraud Web Complaint Form. Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman is handling the prosecution as the case develops.
