Federal grand jury indicts Duponts, daughter, Joplin River of Life Ministries

A federal grand jury indictment, alleging that Robert Dupont, his wife Laverne, stepdaughter Kelley Wheeler, and Joplin River of Life Ministries committed health care fraud and money laundering was unsealed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

The indictment, which was initially filed April 2, says that on March 19, 2003, two days before Robert Dupont reported to prison after pleading guilty to a health care fraud charge, he held a meeting of Joplin River of Life Ministries and announced his wife would be taking over as executive director. "Thereafter Laverne Dupont represented herself as the executive director of Joplin River of Life Ministries despite the fact that Robert Dupont acted as the de facto operator for JROL."

The indictment alleges that Dupont, who was legally prohibited from participating in a business which accepted Medicaid money, continued to do so, illegally accepting $725,000 between Sept 5, 2003, and Nov. 6, 2006, including $712,238 that was deposited in a Southwest Missouri Bank account in Joplin.

Two letters written by Dupont while he was in prison show him issuing orders for operation of the various Guest House operations owned by Joplin River of Life, including facilities in Joplin, Carl Junction, and of course, the Anderson Guest House, where a fire occurred in November 2006 claiming 11 lives and leading to the current indictments.

The Sept. 25, 2007, Turner Report details the sordid history of the Duponts and the Guest House operations, including an excerpt from my book, The Turner Report, which showed how the government and the media blew numerous opportunities to put Dupont out of business long before the Anderson Guest House fire.