St. Louis Nonprofit Executive Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for $2.3 Million Dollar Student Meal Fraud

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced the woman who fraudulently obtained $2.3 million in funds intended to feed hungry Missouri children to 41 months in prison.

Judge Sippel also ordered Cymone McClellan, 33, of St. Louis, to forfeit the vehicles and real estate that she spent meal money to buy and pay back the rest of the money that she obtained.

McClellan operated a nonprofit, Sister of Lavender Rose (S.O.L.R.), that submitted false and fraudulent meal reimbursement claims to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services from about January 2019 to June 2022. Terra Davis, now 44, was McClellan's second-in-command at S.O.L.R. and aided in the scheme.

At the start of McClellan's enrollment with the state program in 2019, she submitted fraudulent management plans falsely claiming that her finance director, who was not truly a signor on S.O.L.R.'s account, would sign all checks and provide financial oversight. "These lies demonstrate that Defendant McClellan made a calculated effort from the beginning of her participation in the state's meal program to enrich herself at the expense of hungry children in our community," a sentencing memo filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman says.

McClellan and Davis submitted false reimbursement claims for a total of 860,876 meals that they purportedly supplied to Missouri children but S.O.L.R. only purchased enough food and milk to serve fewer than a quarter of those meals. McClellan also provided dozens of bogus attendance sheets to DHSS to bolster her false claims.

McClellan's fraud spiked after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the state from conducting regular in-person audits-and after the state allowed non-profits to run drive-thru meal services, the sentencing memo says.

S.O.L.R. submitted management plans to DHSS falsely asserting that state meal reimbursement dollars were spent only in connection with the provision of meals to low-income children, and that the nonprofit did not use meal money to make purchases over $5,000. McClellan spent $60,000 for the down payment on a house in Collinsville, Illinois and another $86,172 on a house in Florissant, Missouri. She spent almost $135,000 in student meal money more to buy five 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.

"Cymone McClellan caused lasting damage to the program meant to feed hungry Missouri children, not only by stealing $2.3 million that should have gone to student meals but by diminishing public support and increasing cynicism through her corruption," said U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Albus.

"Fraud targeting programs designed to feed children is particularly egregious," said Inspector General John Walk for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General. "This non-profit owner exploited a USDA program meant to feed low-income children during the coronavirus pandemic by submitting $2.3 million in reimbursement claims for providing meals the organization never served. Instead, the defendant lived lavishly off tax-payer dollars by spending the funds on two homes and five vehicles. Stealing from an emergency relief program meant to provide food to needy children for personal gain is depraved. This guilty plea reflects USDA OIG's commitment to aggressively pursue those who commit fraud against USDA nutrition programs. I commend SAC Matthew Wilkins for his work on this investigation and thank the United States Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners for their continued collaboration in holding the defendant accountable."

"For the second time in as many months, we are holding accountable individuals who exploited programs meant to feed children for their own personal gain," said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. "Cymone McClellan diverted approximately 75% of the taxpayer funds entrusted to her nonprofit over a three-year period. While children in the St. Louis area went without meals, she used those funds to pay for homes, vehicles, and luxury items. Let this case serve as a clear warning: those who steal from programs designed to serve our most vulnerable will be identified, investigated, and brought to justice."
McClellan pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May of 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Judge Sippel sentenced Davis, who also pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, to five years of probation in June of 2025 and ordered her to repay $2.3 million.

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