Mental health test delays food fraud

A last-minute request that an England woman undergo a mental examination has delayed a scheduled Oct. 17 jury trial for three people accused of defrauding a program designed to feed children out of millions of dollars.

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U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. on Thursday granted a request to postpone the trial long enough for Dortha Harper, also known as Dorothy Harper, to be evaluated by mental health professionals to ensure she is fit to proceed to trial.

Moody rescheduled the trial for Harper, Jacqueline Mills and Anthony Leon Waits to begin March 27, 2017.

Mills is from Helena-West Helena, and Waits is also from England in Lonoke County. They and several other people have been charged in a series of indictments with defrauding the federal Child and Adult Care Feeding Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Prosecutors said that with the help of some employees of the state Department of Human Services, which administered the program, several people were approved as "sponsors" and then pretended to feed children or greatly exaggerated feeding children in low-income areas to seek reimbursement from the government.

A federal investigation into the scheme is still underway, but prosecutors said they have so far uncovered thefts of more than $11 million.

Metro on 10/07/2016

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