[email protected] MORGANTOWN – The Dominion Post reported on Tuesday that the Dunbar School Foundation STOP program – is under investigation by the U.S.
Department of Justice for potential misuse of public funds. The foundation and former DSF STOP CEO Romelia Hodges have been ordered to provide an array of documents to the DOJ by U.S.
Magistrate Judge Michael Aloi. The DOJ served Hodges and STOP with a Civil Investigative Demand in conjunction with a state investigation by the Office of Inspector General, and the motion to enforce the demand submitted to Aloi by Assistant U.S.
Attorney Stephanie Savino provides details on the case. STOP was a COVID-19 program created to serve the African-American population in Marion and surrounding counties and funded through federal COVID funds channeled through the former Department of Health and Human Resources. It ceased operation in June 2023.
The DOJ alleges Hodges and DSF STOP (referred to by its alternate version, Stop, in the motion) “submitted false claims, either directly or indirectly, to the U.S. government,” a potential violation of the False Claims Act.
The DOJ formulated its Civil Investigative Demand in March and a STOP representative was first served on May 20, with a 20-day deadline to respond. Savino’s motion says, “Despite granting multiple extensions and multiple attempts to secure Dunbar Stop’s compliance with the CID for nearly four months, Dunbar Stop has refused to produce documents or respond to.
