Slow-walking the Balanced Nutrition probe?

For those who haven’t been with us long-term, Balanced Nutrition was a contractor to the NC Department of Health and Human Services run by GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson and his wife Yolanda Hill.    Balanced Nutrition (BN) reportedly reimbursed daycare centers across the state — with federal tax dollars — who had fed lunch to low-income children.  The feds hand off the money to state HHS agencies who turn around and allocate it to contractors like Balanced Nutrition.  (If you need to catch up, or to review the saga, you can click here.)

For more than a year, we’ve been reporting on inconsistencies in BN’s financial paperwork as well as other instances which appear to fly in the face of state and federal regulations.  In April 2024, things started coming to a head.  Hill informed NC DHHS and her clients of her intention to shutter the business.  About that same time, NC DHHS officials communicated that they’d like to review Balanced Nutrition’s finances on Hill’s way out the door.

Things got a little more tense and some lawyers got added to the equation.  Meanwhile, the race for governor raged on.  Some members of the drive-by media poked around in the Balanced Nutrition story.  But the porn-related allegations against Robinson appeared to be much sexier to our *First Amendment warriors* in Raleigh.  *Never mind the distinct possibility that at least six- to seven-figures of taxpayer funds may have been mishandled / misappropriated.*

One on-air personality at WRAL actually said to a source of mine: “Why do we need Balanced Nutrition?  We’ve already got gobs of his social media and other Internet activity.  Enough to take him down.”

So much for looking out for the public’s interest. 

In July, we were informed that DHHS found Balanced Nutrition and its business practice ‘seriously deficient.’  State authorities asked the responsible parties at Balanced Nutrition to repay roughly $132,000 to the government.

On September 16, something called an “informal conference” was held at DHHS offices in Raleigh so Hill and her team at Balanced Nutrition could discuss the July findings.  On that same day, Hill’s lawyers submitted a lengthy response to DHHS’s findings against Balanced Nutrition.  We were told that DHHS would review those documents and get back to Hill and the rest of us.

On October 12, we were told by DHHS spokespeople that no response was yet available. Attorneys were still reviewing. The election came and went on November 5.  Still no word.

On November 21, we reached out once again to DHHS to see if there were any new developments.  We received a very lawyer-like response:

[…] NCDHHS is currently reviewing additional documentation provided by Balanced Nutrition, Inc. Then, the State Agency will communicate revisions, if any, driven by the receipt of additional documentation with the Institution and their legal representation.   

We have no additional updates at this time. […]

SO, what’s going on here? In July, the folks at DHHS had a very off-with-their head, assertive tone to this review.  Now, after the election, we’re getting little more than crickets.

There is substantial evidence to warrant some serious questions for Yolanda Hill.  It’s a reach to suggest this has all been fabricated by Roy Cooper and Josh Stein.

I talked with some sources familiar with (1) the federal program Balanced Nutrition was involved with and (2) the internal workings of the state’s executive branch. Here are two interesting theories that came back to us:

• The feds are already involved.  They tend to keep their cards very close to the vest until it’s time to strike or to indict or to arrest.  (This same federal program was at the center of a huge 2022 federal probe in Minnesota that uncovered roughly $250 million in fraud.)
• Roy Cooper protection mode.  We just had ol’ Roy’s hurricane relief coordinator FIRED amid all kinds of scandal.  It’s pretty clear that lame duck Roy is eyeing a run for the US Senate in 2026.  Perhaps the folks looking at Balanced Nutrition are finding evidence of poor to non-existent oversight at Roy Cooper’s Department of Health and Human Services.  Perhaps the goal is protecting their guy’s political viability moreso than looking out for the taxpayers.

Either way, we’re owed some answers.  We need to hear from the state.  And we really need to hear from Mark & Yolanda about some of the things they attested to on those government forms they signed their names to.