School director accused of lining her own pockets by defrauding state lunch program

FLORIDA — The head of a non-profit private school in Florida has been accused of stealing millions of dollars from the State of Florida in an alleged scheme that reportedly involved overbilling the state for feeding underprivileged children.

Felicia Senetta Ali, owner and director of Rayfield School of Excellence based in Hollywood, is charged with overbilling the State of Florida and defrauding taxpayers in a scheme lying about feeding children in need, said Attorney General Ashley Moody.

According to Moody’s announcement, the nonprofit provides meals during the summer months to children who qualify for free lunches throughout the school year. Ali is alleged to have inflated the reported number of meals provided, defrauding state funds out of more than $2.8 million, Moody said.

“This nonprofit owner took advantage of an essential government program providing free meals to vulnerable and hungry children to line her own pocket. Her deliberate and fraudulent scheme not only stole from valuable state resources but from Florida taxpayers,” said Moody.

“Thankfully, my Statewide Prosecutors working with the Miami-Dade Police Department put an end to her criminal racket and she will now face her crimes in court.”

According to Moody’s office, Rayfield School of Excellence participates in the Summer Food Service Program that ensures children in low-income areas continue to receive meals when school is not in session. Only nonprofit organizations are eligible to participate and must submit an application to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Ali spent the last several years running the nonprofit organization and intentionally inflated the reported number of provided meals in order to overbill the state and defraud taxpayers for personal enrichment, Moody said.

Reportedly, Ali knowingly requested the food-service provider at the nonprofit to alter invoices submitted to FDACS, amounting to nearly 500,000 fraudulent meals.

According to the investigation, Ali also is accused of committing communications fraud by submitting fraudulent claims for payments of service through the government website. The investigation uncovered Ali’s financial records that reportedly showed personal expenditures from the nonprofit account, including cash withdrawals, residential mortgage payments, and checks to Ali’s husband.

Ali is facing five felonies, including one count of organized scheme to defraud over $50,000, one count of grand theft over $100,000, and three counts of communications fraud.

“It’s despicable to see someone violate the community’s trust by utilizing such a touching subject as child hunger,” said Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III.

“Every dollar stolen, is not only stolen from the community but from the needy children as well. We all shall come together to continue the fight against child hunger.”

Attorney General Moody’s Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Nicole Garcia will prosecute the case.