Prosecutors say a group of five turned a Missouri child care expansion program into their personal piggy bank, siphoning off about $511,000 that was supposed to help open or grow licensed daycares in the state.
LaDonna P. Smith, 43, and Dennis L. Douglas, 40, have pleaded not guilty to multiple federal charges, while Deaun A. Flowers, 61, Princess T. Jones, 47, and Toi P. Jones, 65, are facing related counts in the same alleged scheme. All of the cases were filed in St. Louis-area courts this month.
What prosecutors allege
According to KMOV, Smith pleaded not guilty on Monday to five counts of wire fraud and two counts of identity theft. Douglas also pleaded not guilty, facing five counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Flowers, Princess T. Jones and Toi P. Jones each face one count of wire fraud and one count of theft of government property, and they appeared in court last week, KMOV reported. Prosecutors say all five took advantage of a Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education grant program that awards Child‑Care Relief Funds to launch or expand child care operations, then diverted roughly $511,000 that should have gone to those projects.
How the grant was supposed to work
The grant at the center of the case came through DESE’s Office of Childhood, which offered Innovation Grants funded by federal Child Care Development Fund dollars, according to DESE. Among them was an “Innovation Grant to Expand a Child Care Program” that closed Feb. 28, 2026, DESE notes…