A Little Rock man was arrested Wednesday and charged with 20 counts of wire fraud as part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal money from a feeding program, U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer announced.
Michael R. Lee, 24, was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday, Thyer said in a statement.
Lee appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Thomas Ray and was released on bond Thursday morning, Thyer said.
Lee sponsored a feeding program through the Our Children of Tomorrow organization, according to the statement. The U.S. Department of Agriculture funds feeding programs and in Arkansas, the Department of Human Services administers the programs, Thyer said. Those who want to participate in the program submits an application to DHS and is reimbursed based on the number of meals served.
The indictment alleges that Lee had a relative working for the Department of Human Services approve his applications to participate in the feeding program. He "falsely represented his average daily attendance and greatly inflated the number of meals provided," Thyer said.
"At one location, he reported attendance ranging from 115 to 450 children, when no more than 25-30 children were ever seen there," Thyer said. "At another location, Lee reported between 75 to 350 children, but no children were seen at that feeding site."
The penalty for wire fraud is no more than 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Thyer said. The investigation is ongoing.
See Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.