MORGANTOWN – The Fairmont-based Dunbar School Foundation STOP COVID-19 vaccine program remains under federal investigation for potential misuse of public funds.
The Dominion Post learned this in response to a Freedom of Information Act request to the state Department of Health regarding repayment arrangements with DSF for more than $400,000 in unallowable spending by the now-defunct program.
The department said in its response, “Due to the ongoing federal investigation, the Department of Health has not initiated collection efforts relating to DSF.”
Following that reply from the Health Department, we contacted the DOJ’s Northern District of West Virginia for an update in the case. DOJ replied, “In accordance with Department of Justice protocol, we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation.”
We reported in March that DSF must refund $460,362.96 to the state Department of Health for unallowable expenses associated with the its STOP program.
The refund represents 42% of the Stop program’s $1,100,649.60 taxpayer-funded grant provided through the state Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services for the period of April 1, 2021 through June 30,2022.
Among the unallowable expenses were $262,048.05 for personnel costs; $32,171.86 for personnel miscalculated expenditures; $12,222.27 for unallowable cell phone costs; $25,240.78 for unallowable vaccine outreach costs; $12,484.22 for unallowable event supplies; $17,353.32 for unallowable building rent; $44,051.65 for unallowable marketing costs; $17,043.51 for contractual costs with “very weak supporting documentation”; and $11,974.94 for unallowable technical device and software costs.”
In October 2024, we reported that the 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 at the time were ordered to provide an array of documents to the DOJ by U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Aloi.
The DOJ had 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 provided details on the case.
The DOJ alleges that Hodges and DSF STOP “submitted false claims, either directly or indirectly, to the U.S. government,” a potential violation of the False Claims Act.
Using language from our previous series of stories, DOJ told Aloi its investigation “indicates that Dunbar Stop may have misused the grant funds for nepotism, excessive executive salaries and bonuses, ATM withdrawals, luxury vehicle rentals, travel, and food.”
