Robbie Wilkerson, the pastor of New Birth Christian Center in Chicago has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for defrauding a food program for low-income children. Robbie Wilkerson’s church operated a summer food program to provide meals to low-income students when schools were not in session.
According to court documents, Wilkerson, and his wife Tasha Wilkerson plead guilty back in May to defrauding the government.
Wilkerson admitted in court that he submitted about $714,000 in false or fraudulent claims to the Illinois State Board of Education, more than $250,000 above the budgeted cost of the program, prosecutors said. The claims indicated that the program provided about 267,000 meals to low-income children, when it actually served fewer than 100,000 meals.
Robbie Wilkerson was ordered to pay $440,964 in restitution, and his wife Tasha Wilkerson, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, and ordered to pay $40,001 in restitution.
