The Case Against Mark Robinson

Social conservatives swooned over [Mark] Robinson because he is adamant about gun rights, opposed to abortion rights, critical of gay and transgender people, skeptical about the Civil Rights Movement and willing to say that public school teachers are indoctrinating children with liberal ideology.

--NewsAndObserver Editorial Board, 30 July 2024 

While they were swooning, they certainly had their eyes closed to the sketchiness of Robinson's past brushes with the authorities. He has been evicted for nonpayment of rent, declared bankruptcy three times, and failed to file federal income taxes for the taxable years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002. "Robinson and his wife ran a Greensboro child care center in the early 2000s that was cited for a raft of violations. Those violations included claims that the center presented falsified documents showing that staff had passed training requirements and criminal background checks. DHHS took no further action after Robinson and his wife gave up the business in 2007."

The more recent revelations about Robinson and his wife Yolanda Hill's nonprofit, Balanced Nutrition, documented that the couple "collected roughly $7 million in government funding since 2017, while paying out at least $830,000 in salaries to Hill, Robinson and other members of their family." Some of that "employment" looks like it was essentially under the table. The state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that Balanced Nutrition (Yolanda is CEO on the paperwork) must repay $132,000 for disallowed expenses submitted to a federally funded child care meal program. "The causes of the overcharges are suspicious. In one case, Balanced Nutrition billed the government for more than $10,000 for food and related items it purchased for Gingerbread Learning Academy in Fuquay-Varina, but the child care center says it did not receive any resources from Balanced Nutrition."

When Balanced Nutrition came up for audit a couple of months back, Yolanda Hill abruptly closed the business, mouthing what has become the company line -- that Balanced Nutrition is being targeted for political reasons and only because Yolanda is married to Mark. Mark, of course, has echoed that red herring -- apparently, North Carolina has its own Deep State that is targeting Robinson. Robinson, for his part, added pathos: "Robinson says shirking his obligations is some sort of everyman trait, just the financial bumps and bruises endured by all people of limited means. He says in a recent campaign ad, 'I’m running for governor because we deserve to be represented by someone who’s actually lived like us.' ”

The Editorial Board of the News and Observer responded:

[No!] Most people don’t live like Robinson. They pay their rent. They pay their debts. They pay their taxes. And when they are questioned, they come forward. They don’t stonewall or repeatedly walk away from what they owe.

Looks Like Fraud, But Let's Call It Messy Paperwork

 

Gary D. Robertson reporting:

RALEIGH. N.C. (AP) — North Carolina state regulators now declare a nonprofit run by the wife of North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson must repay over $132,000 for what they call disallowed expenses while carrying out a federally funded child care meal program.

The state Department of Health and Human Services revealed a larger amount in a Friday letter to Yolanda Hill following a compliance review of Balanced Nutrition Inc., for which Hill is listed as owner and chief financial officer. Robinson, who is also the Republican nominee for governor this fall, worked in the nonprofit years ago before running for elected office, according to his memoir.

Hill previously announced she was shutting down the nonprofit's enterprise and withdrawing from the Child and Adult Care Food Program on April 30. But state officials had already announced in March that the fiscal year's review of Balanced Nutrition would begin April 15.

The review's findings, released Wednesday, cited new and repeat problems, including lax paperwork and the failure to file valid claims on behalf of child care operators or to report expenses accurately. The program told Hill and other leaders to soon take corrective action on the “serious deficiencies” or regulators would propose they be disqualified from future program participation.

The state health department said on Thursday that the Greensboro nonprofit also owed the state $24,400 in unverified expenses reimbursed to several child care providers or homes examined by regulators in the review.

But Friday's letter counted another $107,719 in ineligible claims or expenses that the state said was generated while Balanced Nutrition performed administrative and operating activities as a program sponsor during the first three months of the year. Forms signed by regulators attributed over $80,000 of these disallowed costs to "administrative labor" or “operating labor.” The records don't provide details about the labor costs.... [Hill's daughter was working for the nonprofit]

Balanced Nutrition, funded by taxpayers, has collected roughly $7 million in government funding since 2017, while paying out at least $830,000 in salaries to Hill, Robinson and other members of their family, tax filings and state documents show.