Feds accuse 3 more of embezzling from East St. Louis nonprofit
EAST ST. LOUIS Federal prosecutors on Thursday accused three more people of stealing from an East St. Louis nonprofit that helps children and families, in what they called an ongoing investigation of corruption and self-dealing.
The former executive director of the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, Christopher K. Coleman, pleaded guilty to a federal embezzlement charge in August and admitted creating false invoices to trigger payments of more than $250,000 to a company he owned, prosecutors said.
Neighborhood House provides services to children and families, including housing assistance and a day care program.
The new indictments claim that Coleman also sent $24,000 to a company controlled by Leonard Johnson, 33, of St. Louis, and $40,000 to a company controlled by Jeremy Turner, 31, of Dallas, Texas, in exchange for kickbacks. Prosecutors say the pair lied about the kickbacks to FBI and IRS agents.
Read more: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/feds-accuse-more-of-embezzling-from-east-st-louis-nonprofit/article_b94377bc-a030-5922-8586-2240d07bcdb4.html