Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
USDA Investigating Fresno Unified Payments on Fresh Produce Contracts
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 5 years ago on
September 10, 2020

Share

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating whether Fresno Unified School District overpaid millions of dollars for fresh produce in recent years, GV Wire℠ has learned.

Jerry Stanley, chief deputy district attorney for the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, said the office’s Public Integrity Unit is no longer investigating allegations that Fresno Unified overpaid for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Stanley said the lead investigative agency now is the USDA.

Larry Moore, a spokesman for the USDA, said Thursday that the agency had no immediate comment but was working on a response.

Fresno Unified did not immediately respond to an email from GV Wire℠ seeking comment.

Audit Found Discrepancies

An audit of the district’s payments for produce for the federally funded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program conducted by the Clovis accounting firm Price Paige & Company found that Fresno Unified paid nearly $4.9 million over three years for fruits and vegetables that either cost more than the original bid prices or weren’t even on the bid list.

The district commissioned the audit after a competitor bidder, Fresno Produce, Co., alleged that Fresno Unified had been overcharged by 1st Quality Produce of Fresno.

The audit reviewed 29,000 invoices submitted by 1st Quality Produce for the fiscal years 2015-16 through 2017-18 and found price discrepancies for a number of items.

GV Wire℠ obtained the audit report in late April through a public records request.

Vendor: Overbilling Allegations ‘Unfounded’

After the audit report was made public, 1st Quality Produce released a statement that called the overbilling allegations “unfounded” and said that the district and California Department of Education had determined no further action was needed.

Fresno Unified spokeswoman Amy Idsvoog said at that time that the district did not seek reimbursements from the vendor because the USDA had signed off on the district’s expenditures, which were approved by the California Department of Education.

However, the district subsequently changed its bid and invoicing processes to tighten controls.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is designed to provide fresh produce for students to encourage healthier eating habits.

Fresno Unified is the largest participant in the program in California. It received a grant of $2.2 million to provide daily fruit and vegetable snacks to approximately 40,000 students at 59 elementary schools in the 2019-20 school year.

Price Paige Audit



FUSD FFVP Internal Audit Final Report (002) (Text)

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

DON'T MISS

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

DON'T MISS

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

DON'T MISS

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

DON'T MISS

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

DON'T MISS

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

DON'T MISS

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

DON'T MISS

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

DON'T MISS

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

DON'T MISS

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

UP NEXT

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

UP NEXT

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

UP NEXT

Misty Her: Push for Fresno Unified Turnaround Starts Now With ‘Boots on the Ground’

UP NEXT

California’s Economy Ranks Fourth Worldwide, Surpasses Japan

UP NEXT

Exclusive: US Congress Republicans Seek $27 Billion for Golden Dome in Trump Tax Bill

UP NEXT

Why Texas Is Ahead of California on Bilingual Education

UP NEXT

Abundance Meets Resistance: Are CA Dems Finally Ready to Go All In on Building Housing?

UP NEXT

Less Than Half of Californians Think K-12 Schools Are on the Right Track: Poll

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Trustee Wittrup Says District Had Stronger Candidates Than Misty Her

UP NEXT

On Major Economic Decisions, Trump Blinks, and Then Blinks Again

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

8 hours ago

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

8 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

8 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

9 hours ago

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

9 hours ago

Conflicting US-China Talks Statements Add to Global Trade Confusion

9 hours ago

Driving Near the Fresno Airport Next Week? Plan for Road Closures

10 hours ago

Misty Her: Push for Fresno Unified Turnaround Starts Now With ‘Boots on the Ground’

10 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest 17 in Domestic Violence Crackdown

10 hours ago

What’s Next for Fresno Smoke Shop Ordinance: Lawsuit, Veto, Override?

11 hours ago

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

Virginia Giuffre, a former victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring who said she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” as a te...

4 hours ago

Virginia Roberts Giuffre speaks to reporters in New York on Aug. 27, 2019. Giuffre, a former victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring who said she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” as a teenager to rich and powerful predators, including Prince Andrew of Britain, died on Friday at her farm in Western Australia. She was 41. (Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times)
4 hours ago

Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41

8 hours ago

California Proposes Allowing Testing of Self-Driving Heavy-Duty Trucks

8 hours ago

Higher Taxes on Millionaires? Trump Says He’s Open, but Many in His Party Are Not

8 hours ago

Ex-US Rep. George Santos Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Fraud and Identity Theft

Selma Mayor Scott Robertson (left) has been charged with misdemeanor electioneering for allegedly campaigning near voters at a polling place during the November 2024 election. (Facebook)
8 hours ago

Selma Mayor Charged With Electioneering Violation on Election Day

8 hours ago

Fresno Air Improves. Where Does It Rank in the US?

9 hours ago

As Harris Ponders Run for CA Governor, Is She Prepared for the Daunting Job?

9 hours ago

Stocks Rise With Tech-Related Shares, Notch Weekly Gains; Dollar Up

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend