Current:Home > MyNorth Carolina regulators says nonprofit run by lieutenant governor’s wife owes the state $132K -WealthSphere Pro
North Carolina regulators says nonprofit run by lieutenant governor’s wife owes the state $132K
View
Date:2025-04-18 11:39:18
RALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state regulators now declare a nonprofit run by wife of North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson must repay over $132,000 for what they call disallowed expenses while carrying out a federally funded child care meal program.
The state Department of Health and Human Services revealed a larger amount in a Friday letter to Yolanda Hill following a compliance review of Balanced Nutrition Inc., for which Hall is listed as owner and chief financial officer. Robinson, who is also the Republican nominee for governor this fall, worked in the nonprofit years ago before running for elected office, according to his memoir.
Hill previously announced she was shutting down the nonprofit’s enterprise and withdrawing from the Child and Adult Care Food Program on April 30. But state officials had already announced in March that the annual review of Balance Nutrition would begin April 15.
The review’s findings, released Wednesday, cited new and repeat problems, including lax paperwork and the failure to file valid claims on behalf of child care operators or to report expenses accurately. The program told Hill and other leaders to soon take corrective action on the “serious deficiencies” or regulators would propose they be disqualified from future program participation.
The state health department said on Thursday that the Greensboro nonprofit also owed the state $24,400 in unverified expenses reimbursed to child care providers or homes examined by regulators in the review.
But Friday’s letter counted another $107,719 in ineligible expenses that the state said was generated by Balanced Nutrition performing its work as a program sponsor during the first three months of the year.
Forms signed by regulators attributed over $80,000 of these disallowed costs to “administrative labor” or “operating labor.” The records don’t provide details about the labor costs.
This week’s compliance review did say that Balanced Nutrition should have disclosed and received approval from the program that Hill’s daughter was working for the nonprofit.
A lawyer representing Balanced Nutrition and Hill did not immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment.
The lawyer, Tyler Brooks, has previously questioned the review’s timing, alleging Balanced Nutrition was being targeted because Hill is Robinson’s wife and that “political bias” tainted the compliance review process. Program leaders, meanwhile, have described in written correspondence difficulties in obtaining documents and meeting with Balanced Nutrition leaders.
The health department is run by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration. He was term-limited from seeking reelection. Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is running against Robinson for governor.
Balanced Nutrition helped child care centers and homes qualify to participate in the free- and reduced-meal program, filed claims for centers to get reimbursed for meals for enrollees and ensured the centers remained in compliance with program requirements. The nonprofit received a portion of a center’s reimbursement for its services.
Balanced Nutrition, funded by taxpayers, collected roughly $7 million in government funding since 2017, while paying out at least $830,000 in salaries to Hill, Robinson and other members of their family, tax filings and state documents show.
Robinson described in his memoir how the operation brought fiscal stability to his family, giving him the ability to quit a furniture manufacturing job in 2018 and begin a career in politics.
veryGood! (919)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Today’s Climate: August 5, 2010
- Harry Potter's Miriam Margolyes Hospitalized With Chest Infection
- People Near Wyoming Fracking Town Show Elevated Levels of Toxic Chemicals
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Kroy Biermann Seeking Sole Legal and Physical Custody of His and Kim Zolciak's Kids Amid Divorce
- Protesters Arrested for Blocking Railroad in Call for Oil-by-Rail Moratorium
- Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' GMA3 Replacements Revealed
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- People Near Wyoming Fracking Town Show Elevated Levels of Toxic Chemicals
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Ozempic side effects could lead to hospitalization — and doctors warn that long-term impacts remain unknown
- Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' GMA3 Replacements Revealed
- As Amazon Fires Burn, Pope Convenes Meeting on the Rainforests and Moral Obligation to Protect Them
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Jon Gosselin Pens Message to His and Kate's Sextuplets on Their 19th Birthday
- Environmental Group Alleges Scientific Fraud in Disputed Methane Studies
- Wimbledon will allow women to wear colored undershorts, in nod to period concerns
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner Soak Up the Sun on Beach Vacation With Friends
Democrats Embrace Price on Carbon While Clinton Steers Clear of Carbon Tax
Deux par Deux Baby Shower Gifts New Parents Will Love: Shop Onesies, Blankets, Turbans & More
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
Her miscarriage left her bleeding profusely. An Ohio ER sent her home to wait
A SCOTUS nursing home case could limit the rights of millions of patients
Today’s Climate: August 20, 2010