Louisiana School boards association chief fired

FROM THEADVERTISER.COM -

Louisiana School Boards Association Executive Director Nolton Senegal has been fired amid an investigation of embezzled funds by an LSBA employee.

Senegal reportedly was aware on the ongoing misuse of funds and did not report it to the association.
An official statement from LSBA President Darrin Manuel says “At the meeting of its Board of Directors of September 9, 2011, the Louisiana School Boards Association took action to remove Nolton J. Senegal, Sr., from his position as executive director.
“Such action followed an investigation into allegations of misappropriation of funds by a member of the LSBA staff. Mr. Senegal has served as Executive Director since July 2007. He is a former member of the Acadia Parish School Board who has served as the president of LSBA for two terms.”
Manuel said that the association’s attorney has advised against making comments.
“This has been something of an on-going matter,” Manuel said. “Once is was brought to our attention, we acted on it as quickly as possible.”
Currently, the investigation is “in the hands of an assistant attorney general and a forensic auditor,” said Don Whittinghill, spokesman for the LSBA. He said three accounts are being audited.
Lloyd Dressel, director of business and Finance for the organization, was named interim executive director.

Accused school administrator resigns in Louisiana

FROM THEADVERTISER.COM  -

Charles Moore, a St. Landry Parish School Board administrator accused of embezzlement, resigned Tuesday afternoon during a scheduled hearing to discuss his employment.
When the tenure hearing began, Moore asked that the meeting be held in public and visiting attorney Robert Hammonds went through the procedure. There would be two charges brought against Moore in an attempt to remove him as a principal and tenured teacher, Hammonds said.

Opening arguments, witness testimony and closing arguments would be heard. Then the board would deliberate in private before making a decision. It was not clear if that was in compliance with the Louisiana Open Meetings Law.

Moore told the group that he had attended the hearing alone, and board attorney Gerald Caswell took Moore aside. Caswell asked for a 10-minute recess, and when the meeting began again, Moore offered his resignation.

Caswell simply told Moore that he could resign, Caswell said, but Moore said there was a little more to the conversation.

"He came out and he said that if I resigned that all the charges would go away and I'll be able to find another job," Moore said. "He meant that the charges with the School Board would go away. The problem with the criminal charges is that is the kind of thing that stops me from having representation from the principal organization."

Moore, 59, was arrested on May 27, 2010 for theft greater than $500 and malfeasance in office while principal of Grand Prairie Elementary School during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years. Moore was accused of writing himself checks from the school's fund and using the cash to pay his cell phone bill, buy an iPhone and eye glasses.

That case still is tied up in court, with a hearing scheduled for November.

Moore's monthly income was $5,000, according to court documents, which the School Board continued to pay when Moore was placed on leave with pay directly after his arrest.

The school board accepted Moore resignation by a vote of 9 to 2, with board members Quincy Richard and John Miller voting against.

Moore's resignation was effective immediately, meaning he will keep the 15 months of pay he received while on administrative leave.

Moore left before board members voted, but told the group that he was "in over his head" with the hearing.

He said he was not sure with what the board was charging him and why it differed from his criminal charges.

"You can't run your school system with different rules for black administrators and white administrators," Moore, who is black, said during his resignation. "I'm going to resign and I think it's in my best interest to do so."

After the meeting, Hammonds would not disclose Moore's charges, calling them "confidential."

"Had they gone forward with the hearing, then they would have been discussed in public," Hammonds said.

Ex-Jefferson Parish school employee pleads guilty in plot to embezzle school funds in Louisiana

A former employee of the Jefferson Parish Public School System has pleaded guilty to conspiring to embezzle school funds.

Prosecutors say 52-year-old Geselle Savoy, who was a testing technician for the Jefferson Parish schools, received 50 unauthorized payments from the school system totaling nearly $38,000.
The resident of Alamogordo, N.M., faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine following her guilty plea Thursday to one count of conspiring to commit federal program fraud.
Savoy allegedly submitted fraudulent payroll documents so she and other school employees would be paid for unauthorized work.
Her sentencing is set for Oct. 12.

$132,000 embezzlement scam alleged in Jefferson Parish school system in Louisiana

FROM THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Fraud charges were filed against Kimberly M. Williams, 34, of New Orleans, Geselle Savoy, 52, of Alamogordo, N.M., Amanda Jackson, 55, of Harvey and Danay Jackson, 33, of Harvey, the U.S. attorney's office said. Tracy Walker, 42, of Westwego was charged with misprision of a felony, or failing to report a crime.

Prosecutors said all five were school system employees but not certified teachers or qualified to perform tutoring, testing or remediation. But Williams and Savoy, testing technicians in the school system's central office, are accused of submitting fraudulent payroll documents for all five defendants, generating about $132,152 in supplemental pay and stipends. (See PDF of the charges.)
The money came from the school system's general fund and special funds for the Louisiana Education Assessment Program test, Graduate Exit Examination and Education Excellence.
School officials said they were pleased to learn of the charges.
"When we uncovered alleged illegal activity by five of our employees, we immediately reported our findings to the authorities and are fully cooperating with their investigation," school system spokeswoman Beth Branley said. "We will continue monitor programs for any type of illegal activity that adversely impacts funding designated for our children."
Amanda and Danay Jackson are related, but it was not immediately clear how.
All five defendants have been fired from their jobs. None could be reached for comment Tuesday.
The charges were filed not in an indictment by a grand jury but by prosecutors in a bill of information, sometimes an indication that defendants have already reached plea agreements.
The bill says the fraud took place from Feb. 11, 2007, through Sept. 2, 2009, beginning when Williams added unauthorized overtime hours for herself under the school system's interval assessment program. Eventually, prosecutors said, Savoy and the two Jacksons asked to be included.
Amanda Jackson worked as a processing clerk in the accounts receivable office, Danay Jackson as an office clerk at Estelle Elementary School in Marrero.
Walker allegedly became involved in July 2008, when Amanda Jackson told Savoy to provide unauthorized stipends and overtime payments to Walker, using her employee number. Walker was a child nutrition worker at Vic Pitre Elementary in Westwego.
In one instance, Amanda Jackson allegedly instructed Walker to meet her in the parking lot of the Jefferson Financial Credit Union and hand over $5,940 of the $7,920 that Walker had illegally received in summer remediation payments. At a second, similar meeting, Jackson instructed Walker to give her $2,925 of the $3,900 that Walker had illegally received for student testing pay.
But at the second meeting, Walker reportedly told Jackson that she no longer wanted to be part of the scheme.
Williams, Savoy and both Jacksons each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted, although maximum sentences are rare in federal court. Walker faces a maximum of three years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by U.S. Secret Service, the federal Department of Education, the Louisiana Electronic and Financial Crimes Task Force and the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs' Office. The prosecutor is Assistant U. S. Attorney Julia Evans.

Charter School Employee in New Orleans Pleads Guilty to Theft of Over $600,000 from School

KELLY A. THOMPSON, age 39, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court today before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier to theft of federal funds, announced United States Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the documents filed today in court, THOMPSON was employed at Langston Hughes Academy Charter School as the Business and Human Resources Manager/Financial Manager beginning approximately July 1, 2008 until approximately November 6, 2009. THOMPSON admitted that in her position at Langston Hughes Academy Charter School, she would make cash withdrawals while acting in her capacity as Business and Human Resources Manager/Financial Manager and then manipulated the school’s record in order to conceal the thefts. The amount of loss to Langston Hughes Academy Charter School is approximately $660,000.
THOMPSON faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. Sentencing is set for May 20, 2010.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney James R. Mann.

School Employee Charged with Theft of Funds from Langston Hughes Academy Charter School in New Orleans

KELLY A. THOMPSON, age 39, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged in a Bill of Information for Theft of Federal Funds from Langston Hughes Academy Charter School announced United States Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the Bill, THOMPSON was employed at Langston Hughes Academy Charter School as the Business and Human Resources Manager/Financial Manager beginning approximately July 1, 2008 until approximately November 6, 2009. It is alleged the defendant made cash withdrawals while acting in her capacity as Business and Human Resources Manager/Financial Manager, and then manipulated the school’s record in order to conceal the thefts. The alleged amount of loss to Langston Hughes Academy Charter School is approximately $660,000.
United States Attorney Letten reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
In convicted, THOMPSON faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000, and up to three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Salvador Perricone and James R. Mann.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA SCHOOL SYSTEM EMPLOYEE FACES THEFT CHARGES

A trusted employee with the East Baton Rouge Parish School System was arrested on December 8, 2009 after she allegedly padded her own bank account through private information from fellow workers.
Authorities said Terry Jenkins-Williams, 39, used her job as a payroll worker to gain access to part-time employee bank account information. She found part-time workers who only worked a few times a year, according to a spokesperson for the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office.
She's accused of skimming from their paychecks or creating fake time sheets for them and funneling that money directly to her checking account. Investigators believe Jenkins-Williams began fudging numbers in October 2006. The total amount of money from fabricated hours added up to $10,423.61.
"If you look at the grand scheme of things, we have over 6,000 employees and it's unfortunate that one employee would bring a bad name to the school system," said Chris Trahan, a school district spokesperson.
Police cracked the case after a substitute teacher claimed she hadn't been paid for working last month. Jenkins-Williams is charged with four felonies and remains in jail on $30,000 bond.