As one of her major projects as first lady, Michelle Obama vowed to get American children healthy — but according to police, she was helping enrich fraudsters.
Michelle Obama’s program was an ill-conceived school lunch redesign that was described as “horrendous” and “inedible” — and quickly became the poster child for the kind of government waste that conservatives warn against.
In fact, it was so badly run that one of it’s architects — who was personally invited to the White House to advise the first lady — has been arrested on 15 felony charges related to the program, including embezzlement and fraud.
“David Binkle was hailed as a pioneer among school nutrition advocates for accomplishing a near-herculean task — using produce and meats provided by local growers to greatly reduce the number of fatty meals served in the nation’s second-largest school district,” according to The Los Angeles Times.
His work gained him numerous awards and an invitation to advise the White House — and authorities say it also helped line his pocket with tens of thousands of ill-gotten taxpayer dollars.
Between 2010 and 2014, court documents say, Binkle misappropriated the funds for his program in the total amount of $65,000. Authorities also claim he forged a vendor application with his district and was dishonest about his outside financial interests.
Binkle, 55, appeared in court Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the 15 felony charges regarding the misappropriation of government funding. He posted bail and is scheduled to return for trial in October where, if convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 13 years in prison.
Wonder what the food is like in jail?
— The Horn editorial team