"We were starting to get suspicious" | Former 2nd Milk donor speaks out after founder's arrest

"I was telling anybody and everybody that they need to support 2nd Milk, so I felt like it was my responsibility to find out the truth," Nellya Canfield said

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Following the federal indictment of the founders of 2nd Milk, a Springdale-based nonprofit aimed at helping orphaned children in Africa and elsewhere, a Tennessee woman involved with the group is coming forward with details of her experience. 

Nellya Canfield said she met Jason and Lacey Carney in 2021. She said she and her husband were in the process of trying to adopt a child from Malawi, Africa when the adoption agency put her in contact with 2nd Milk. 

“Jason really helped me in that," Canfield said. "He's an adoptive dad. He's an adoptee himself, and I think what really put our walls down was the fact that he actually started off as a missionary in Malawi, Africa, so we really felt like he checked every single box to be able to run an ethical nonprofit.” 

It was after meeting, Canfield said, that she and her husband began donating $400 a month to 2nd Milk for several months in a row. 

In 2022, she said they traveled to Malawi with the Carneys on a week-long mission trip. Part of the trip was to help her and her husband get a first-hand look at the area in which they were hoping to adopt. 

“At that point, we had already lost three referrals of children that we were matched with," Canfield said. "This was an opportunity for us to get to know the culture, but really hopefully help our adoption along."

Canfield said it was on the trip to Malawi where things started to not add up. 

According to the federal indictment, prosecutors allege that while the Carneys touted that donations went directly to the people it aimed to help, they instead were using the money for their own wealth. 

Through various forms of communication, court documents show that while Jason asked and received money to fund the implementation of infrastructure such as "chicken houses," "a freshwater well," and "a truckload of formula," it was also used for "personal travel; payment on home, auto, and boat loans; personal credit accounts; for routine living expenses, discretionary spending, and cosmetic medical procedures."

"We actually did not see any chicken houses, or any structures for pigs, or any kind of business like that,” Canfield said. “They were also saying that they're feeding thousands of children. And then when we started asking a little bit more questions, specifically, how many children are actually in the program? You were getting different answers.” 

The federal indictment, filed Jan. 8, detailed an exchange between Jason and an unnamed company. 

In that exchange, court documents show that Jason told the unnamed company that 2nd Milk was "feeding over 850 babies daily," despite the previous year being told by an employee that "we have 56 right now [i]n [t]he program" who were getting formula. 

The indictment also says the Carneys presented to donors, potential donors, employees, and board members that they collect "little to no salary from 2nd Milk while knowing that 2nd Milk donations were a primary source of the Carneys’ personal income."

The indictment shows that between 2016 and 2022, 2nd Milk had a total revenue of $3,227,500. 

“We also were able to go on these mission fields with them, to go into the villages and see what was happening, and it was super inspiring and incredible. We felt like they were truly doing God's work,” Canfield said. “But it didn't match with the millions of dollars coming into Malawi. That kind of money could transform villages. That could build villages. We were starting to get a little suspicious.” 

Canfield added that after the trip, she began looking into the finances of the group, spoke with previous employees, and along with her friend, began bringing documents to the proper authorities. 

"I was telling anybody and everybody that they need to support 2nd Milk, so I felt like it was my responsibility to find out the truth," she said.

When she tried to sound the alarm to fellow members about the alleged misuse of funds, she said she was dismissed by many. Still, she felt it was important to speak out about what she saw. 

“There's never going to be any change unless we hold these people accountable and we bring it to light,” Canfield said. “What's done in the dark will always come to light, but that can't happen unless somebody's willing to speak out.” 

Court records show that Jason pleaded not guilty to 15 federal charges, including one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 11 counts of wire fraud. Lacey’s arraignment is set for Jan. 29. 

5NEWS has reached out to both Jason and Lacey, as well as Jason’s attorney, for a statement on the matter, but has not heard back.