Former Executive Director of Nonprofit Organization Receiving DOJ Grant Funds Pleaded Guilty to Wire Fraud

On June 9, 2022, the former Executive Director of the Jesse Cosby Neighbor Center (JCNC) in Waterloo, Iowa, an entity that received DOJ grant funds, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.  Jesse Henderson pleaded guilty in the Northern District of Iowa.  According to the factual statement in support of the guilty plea, from in or about July 2017 through in or about May 2021, Henderson used and misappropriated approximately $71,483 of JCNC funds for his own purposes and to support his gambling addiction and expenses.  In an attempt to conceal his fraud, Henderson redeposited approximately $12,471 back into the JCNC accounts.  The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s Chicago Field Office and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation.