A former state employee admitted Tuesday that she took bribes for nearly three years to permit two other women to obtain $6 million in federal funds by falsely claiming they fed underprivileged children in after-school and summer nutrition programs.
Tonique Hatton, 39, of North Little Rock, flanked by defense attorneys Stuart Vess and Christian Alexander, pleaded guilty in a federal courtroom in Little Rock to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and receipt of a bribe.
Both charges centered on Hatton's job at the state Department of Human Services, which served as the administrator for the feeding programs, which were funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jana Harris said Hatton's responsibilities included processing applications from people who applied to be sponsors to feed low-income children and later be reimbursed through the federal government. Her duties included determining the sponsors' eligibility and approving their proposed feeding sites.
From January 2012 through August 2014, Hatton and another state worker, Gladys Elise Waits, also known as Gladys Elise King, approved paperwork allowing Jacqueline Mills of Helena-West Helena and Kattie Jordan of Dermott to be sponsors and submit claims, despite knowing that the women planned to commit fraud, Harris said. She said Hatton and Waits also helped Mills and Jordan avoid detection.
Mills operated approved feeding sites in cities including Helena-West Helena and Marianna, through which she received more than $2.5 million in federal funds. Jordan operated approved sites in cities including Dermott, Dumas, Eudora and Lake Village, through which she received more than $3.5 million in federal funds. Both Mills and Jordan claimed they fed far more children than they actually did, Harris said.
Waits pleaded guilty March 30 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and receipt of a bribe, and is awaiting sentencing. If she and Hatton hadn't pleaded guilty, both would be joining three other people in a jury trial that is to begin Oct. 17 in the Little Rock courtroom of U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr.
In return for Hatton's guilty pleas, for which she will be sentenced in about 90 days, Moody granted Harris' request to dismiss 26 individual counts of bribery against Hatton.
In the courtroom, Harris said Hatton accepted $30,770 in bribe checks made out to her, and another $62,700 in bribe checks made out to a relative of hers.
Although an indictment lists 27 checks that it says Hatton received from Mills and Jordan during the nearly three-year period, Hatton pleaded guilty to a single bribery charge, admitting that she accepted a $16,000 check from Mills on May 25, 2013.
Still, as part of the plea agreement, Hatton agreed that "every bit" of the allegations against her in the indictment were true.
The indictment listed checks to Hatton that ranged from $5,000 to $16,000. The memo lines of the checks were occasionally left blank, but in most cases indicated the checks were used to pay for furniture, supplies, food, mileage, setup fees, travel and building materials.
Harris didn't say whether the checks covered some legitimate expenses as well as the fraudulent expenses. However, she told Moody that the amount of restitution that will be due by each of the defendants hasn't yet been agreed upon. If the restitution can't be worked out before sentencing, Harris said, the parties will let the court decide the amounts each defendant owes.
Those still awaiting trial in the case are Mills; Dortha Harper, also known as Dorothy Harper, of England; and Waits' estranged husband, Anthony Leon Waits, also of England.
The conspiracy charge against Hatton is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the bribery charge is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison. Each charge also carries a potential fine of up to $250,000.
While federal sentencing guidelines will help determine a recommended penalty range within the statutory requirements, Harris said Hatton's plea agreement includes enhancements for abusing a position of trust, accepting more than one bribe and for the amount of loss involved in the scheme.
She said Hatton has agreed to forfeit to the government $17,681 that she has in a bank account, to be put toward her restitution.
Hatton wasn't asked in the courtroom to explain her guilt in her own words, and she declined to comment after the hearing when asked what motivated her to commit the crimes.
Metro on 09/07/2016