Month: June 2015

No charges in loans to Brownback re-election campaign

by Andy Marso, KHI News Service

Gov. Sam Brownback’s office said Wednesday it had received word from the U.S. Attorney’s Office that no charges will be filed after an investigation into loans made to the governor’s re-election campaign.

The governor released a joint statement with Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, a plastic surgeon who also was at the center of the probe.

“We have been advised by legal counsel that the United States Attorney’s Office has concluded an investigation regarding campaign finance matters, and no charges are to be filed,” the statement read. “As we have stated many times, our campaign finances were conducted in full compliance with applicable law and ethics regulations. We will have no further statements regarding this concluded matter.”

The Associated Press first reported in January that a grand jury had convened in Topeka and among the information requested under subpoena were all documents related to loans Brownback and Colyer had made to the campaign.

Colyer, the architect of the Medicaid managed care switch known as KanCare, loaned the campaign $500,000 three times — each time just before a deadline for candidates to report their fundraising.

Subsequent campaign finance reports showed that the first two times the loans were made, the campaign repaid Colyer within days.

When the most recent campaign reports came in at the end of 2014, however, the campaign had repaid only $400,000 of the final Colyer loan. The campaign had only about $45,000 in cash on hand at that point, so it could not fully repay Colyer or repay a loan Brownback and his wife, Mary, made to the campaign.

The most recent filing lists $100,000 to Colyer and $200,000 to the Brownbacks as “loan payable” on Schedule D, the section for “Other Transactions.”

Brownback and Colyer were asked repeatedly about the loans on the campaign trail but divulged little information about them, with Colyer only calling them “cash management.”

Grand jury proceedings are closed, and the evidence presented to grand juries is rarely made public if no charges are filed.

The nonprofit KHI News Service is an editorially independent initiative of the Kansas Health Institute and a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration. All stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to KHI.org when a story is reposted online.

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Recipe: Dairy products provide a nutrient powerhouse

by Lori Wuellner
National Dairy Month is a great way to start the summer with nutrient-rich dairy foods.

From calcium to potassium, dairy products like milk contain nine essential nutrients which may help to better manage your weight, reduce your risk for high blood pressure, osteoporosis and certain cancers.

Whether it’s protein to help build and repair the muscle tissue of active bodies or vitamin A to help maintain healthy skin, dairy products are a natural nutrient powerhouse. Those are just a few of the reasons that you should celebrate dairy not just in June, but all year long.

To get you started or to keep on track with dairy consumption check out the “30 Day of Dairy from the National Dairy Council,” www.nationaldairycouncil.org. The fact sheet provides ideas on incorporating dairy foods for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner plus a bonus recipe section.

Here are just a few of their suggestions.

Breakfast
• Breakfast Sandwich – toast a whole-wheat English muffin and top with an egg and reduced-fat cheese slice.
• Morning Mocha – mix a cup of low-fat chocolate milk with a teaspoon of instant coffee.

Lunch
• Pizza Pita – top a whole-grain pita with pizza sauce, reduced-fat shredded cheese and your favorite toppings.
• Super Spud – try a baked potato with low-fat plain yogurt, reduced-fat shredded cheese, black pepper and your favorite steamed veggies.

Snacks
• Chocolate Banana Milkshake – blend a cup of low-fat chocolate milk, a banana and ice cubes.
• Yogurt-sicles – pour low-fat yogurt into small paper cups, insert small wooden sticks and freeze

Dinner
• Garden Pasta Salad – combine cooked whole-wheat pasta, reduced-fat Cheddar cheese cubes, fresh chopped veggies and low-fat Italian dressing.
• Sweet Ending – top angel food cake with low-fat cherry or vanilla yogurt.

Be mindful of the recommendations for daily intake as you maintain or increase consumption. People 9 years and older should consume 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy every day. One serving is 1 cup (8 ounces) of low-fat or fat-free milk, 1 cup (8 oz) low-fat/fat-free yogurt, 1.5 ounces reduced-fat natural cheese, 2 ounces reduced-fat processed cheese, 1/3 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese and 2 cups cottage cheese.

Give the Cheddar and Mushroom Breakfast Squares recipe a try. Not only will it boost your dairy intake but it will rev up your day with a healthy breakfast.

Lori Wuellner is a Wyandotte County Extension agent, Family and Consumer Sciences, K-State Research and Extension, 1216 N. 79th St., Kansas City, Kan. Telephone 913-299-9300, email lwuellne@ksu.edu.

Cheddar and Mushroom Breakfast Squares
Ingredients
2 teaspoons butter
2 cups sliced white button mushrooms
½ cup sliced green onions, including green tops
6 slices country-style whole-grain bread, cubed
2 cup shredded, reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
2 cups fat-free or low-fat milk
2 cups egg substitute
1 teaspoon red or green hot pepper sauce

Spray a 8 x8 square glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add mushrooms. Cook mushrooms about 5 minutes or until softened and brown at edges. Stir in green onion; set aside. Place ½ of the bread cubes in prepared baking dish. Scatter ½ of the mushroom mixture and ½ of the cheese over bread cubes. Layer remaining bread cubes and mushroom mixture; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat milk, egg substitute and pepper sauce until well blended. Pour milk mixture over bread cubes and top with the remaining cheese. Make ahead suggestion: cover dish with foil and refrigerate for 8-10 hours before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, covered for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until top is puffed up and cheese is browned at edges. Let cool for 5 minutes; cut into squares to serve. Note: Create your own variations by using other vegetables.

Nutritional Facts: 210 Calories, 8g Fat, 4.5g Saturated Fat, 20 mg Cholesterol, 310 mg Sodium, 17 g Protein, 18 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 30% Daily Value Calcium
(Recipe created by 3-Every-Day ™ of Dairy)
(Source: International Dairy Foods and National Dairy Council)

Store owners in KCK plead guilty to theft from food stamp program

The owners of a store in Kansas City, Kan., have pleaded guilty to defrauding a federal food stamp program, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today. The fraud totaled more than $227,000.

On June 16, Saima Sajjad, 39, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud. Her husband, Sajjad S. Chaudhry, 47, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

In their pleas, they admitted the crimes occurred while they owned the KC Gas Mart at 2850 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. The store participated in a federal food stamp program called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The store came under investigation in the summer of 2013 because it reported engaging in thousands of dollars of SNAP benefits transaction, many of which were large purchases. Undercover investigators working with the USDA exchanged SNAP benefits for cash at KC Gas Mart, receiving approximately 50 percent of the value of the SNAP benefits. The rules of the program prohibit approved vendors from trading cash for food stamps, accepting food stamps for ineligible items and accepting food stamps from people who are not authorized to use them.

In addition, Chaudhry admitted he used another person’s electronic benefits card to purchase food items at a Sam’s Club store in Kansas City, Kan.

The defendants are set for sentencing Aug. 25. They face the following penalties:
Conspiracy to defraud USDA: a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Conspiracy to commit wire fraud: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to be served consecutively.

Grissom commended the USDA-OIG and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Tomasic for their work on the case.