However, the government agreed to drop more than 80 additional counts against Holladay most of which were various counts of wire fraud related to the conspiracy and dropped all charges against Holladays wife, who participated in the scheme. All six of the defendants are charged with conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud. While the school system was mentioned in the indictment brought in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, the indictment does not name the Limestone County Board of Education or anyone currently involved with Limestone County Schools as defendants. You can email him at [emailprotected] or follow him on Twitter. Such lengths included: creating fake report cards, manufacturing false addresses for the students of the private schools who lived outside of Alabama, and submitting falsified course completion reports to the state department of education. According to the plea agreement, additional charges of wire fraud and identity theft against Holladay were dropped. As the office responsible for identifying fraud, abuse, and other criminal activity involving U.S. Department of Education funds and programs, ensuring that those who abuse these funds or game the system for their own selfish purposes are stopped and held accountable for their criminal actions is a big part of our mission., Integrity and trust are characteristics of Alabama teachers and administrators. The Alabama Attorney Generals Office also assisted in the investigation. And the investigation might not be over. Dr. Trey Holladay and Deborah Holladay released the following joint statement. He faces up to 20 years in prison. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Educations Office of Inspector General. The six-day protest was their first in decades and led to a 6% raise for teachers, added nurses and school . The Dept. He is in his fourth year as superintendent of the Athens City Schools system in Athens, AL. He left Limestone County Schools to become the director of Bristol, TN schools. After a full review of the situation and the uncertainties of the circumstances, the board of education believes it is both timely and appropriate to make a change in leadership as it is in the best interest of Athens City Schools. Page 2. The indictment further alleges that the defendants went to various lengths to conceal the fraud from the state.Such lengths included: creating fake report cards, manufacturing false addresses for the students of the private schools who lived outside of Alabama, and submitting falsified course completion reports to the state department of education. The three pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the scheme. She says following the statement, the board unanimously voted to keep Rick Carter on administrative leave. Copyright 2021 WAFF. The charges against us are unfounded and will be vigorously defended. The agreement states Holladay will face a minimum sentence of no fewer than 30 months in prison. Former Athens City Schools superintendent William L. Trey Holladay III on Thursday received the maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and ordered to pay $2.9 million in restitution for his part in a multimillion dollar fraud scheme where he ordered private school students to be enrolled as full-time virtual public school students in order to receive state education funding. The four co-defendants each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to . Trey received a master's degree degree from West Alabama . The state department told federal officials it had recouped funding from Limestone and Conecuh counties, but did not state the amounts. The mastermind of Alabamas virtual school enrollment scam was sentenced Thursday to a half-decade in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set for Holladay. Former Athens Superintendent William L. "Trey" Holladay III, retired teacher Gregory "Greg" Earl Corkren and former Marengo Academy football coach David "Webb" Tutt are scheduled for. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Fortunately, the U.S. Attorney, FBI, and OIG have committed investigators who, like us, are determined to make sure every taxpayer dollar is accounted for and every dollar intended for the classroom is spent on the classroom, he said. Because of state laws, Athens Schools officials have been unable to terminate Rick Carter, who was convicted in March of seven felonies. In 1995 the school district bought the former Indian Hill Mall, a failing shopping center built in the 1960s, and . Carter will be sentenced in August. The systems received state funds for those students. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, the DOJ says that , "Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five ears imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. Upon reviewing the allegations against Dr. Rick Carter, Athens City Schools has placed him on administrative leave until further notice. A spokesperson for the FBI confirms that "law enforcement action" was taken at the home of Athens City School Superintendent Trey Holladay on Tuesday morning. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay, one of six defendants indicted on federal charges of conspiracy in the scheme, is charged with conspiracy and 88 counts of wire fraud. None of the other individuals charged in the indictment remain affiliated with Athens City Schools in any manner. Trey Holladay, the mastermind of the virtual school scam, was hit with a lengthy prison sentence and hefty fine. Holladay , . Zwingli and the other reformers showed that engaging in debate about faith was intellectually progressive. Holladay left the school district months after the FBI started investigating him in 2020. Alabama department of education wanted defendants to repay $5.7 million, found guilty of conspiracy, four counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft in March, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. Details on the plea agreement were released by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montgomery on Thursday. ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) - Former Athens superintendent, William Lee Trey Holladay has entered a guilty plea for a conspiracy charge. As a result, the private schools obtained funds that they were not lawfully entitled to receive.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There are issues that most of Alabama knows we need to address. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Montgomery has named two former school superintendents in an indictment. The following statement was read by Superintendent Beth Patton: The Athens City Schools community is shocked and very concerned to read Tuesdays release from the U.S. Attorneys office. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The U.S. Attorneys Office made a motion to dismiss all pending charges against his wife on December 16 as well. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Former Limestone County Superintendent Tom Sisk was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Tuesday, fined $15,000 and ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution. In fact, as mentioned during the Justice Departments press conference, the indictment does not include any current Limestone County School employees. It is located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and is the third-largest school district in Los Angeles County. Advertisement. Former Athens, Limestone superintendents face federal conspiracy, fraud charges; Carter placed on leave, ACS Board reads prepared statement at Thursdays special meeting, keeps Carter on leave, Fraud by Wire, Radio or Television (87 counts), Fraud with Identification Documents (35 counts), Fraud by Wire, Radio or Television (6 counts), Fraud by Wire, Radio or Television (85 counts), Whats old is new again: Joe Davis Stadium comes back to life ahead of HFC season-opener, Former FBI investigator gives insight on Texas shooter manhunt, FBI confirms law enforcement action taken at Athens City Schools superintendents home. Thompson noted that all of the private schools utilized in the scheme were located in the Black Belt region. In total, the Alabama Department of Education believes the six people robbed public schools of more than $5 million using a variety of methods to falsify virtual schools rolls and illegally gain more per-pupil funding. In November 2008, 75% of voters approved Measure PS, a $235 million school bond measure, to provide for the renovation of schools. ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) - Former Athens superintendent, William Lee "Trey" Holladay has entered a guilty plea for a conspiracy charge. The Board of Education will have a Special Called Meeting on Thursday, February 25, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. in the central office board room. There is absolutely no way that we would do anything detrimental to the school system. The students whose identities were used in the scheme had little to no connection to the public school districts, federal officials confirmed. District, teachers, at odds. In reality, however, the participants of the scheme were falsifying student names and using the personal information of actively enrolled private school students to bump up enrollment numbers. These sentences may seem severe, but they are in accordance with the severity of the criminal acts these individuals committed.. Published on May 25, 2021 at 2:25 pm CDT. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. Now a resident of Montgomery, Holladay pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Alabama State Department of Education. Corkren will pay $1.3 million. Co-defendants Gregory Earl Corkren, David Webb Tutt, and Thomas Michael Sisk, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. Holladay was on leave from June 2020 until his last day with the district on Oct. 31, 2020. Subscribe to EDU for a bi-weekly digest of articles.Privacy Policy, Scholastics blog abouteducation and learning. Help us combat the proliferation of sexual exploitation crimes against children. School officials have not discussed this matter at the request of federal officials, and will continue to refrain from discussing it. The jury found Lorenzo Mills guilty of assaulting three incarcerated people with a riot baton and falsifying a report. Superintendent Trey Holladay is shown in a photo on the Athens City Schools website. City of Pasadena Releases Independent Review of Officer-Involved Shooting of Anthony McClain. Others indicted include William Richard Carter, Jr. (Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft), Gregory Earl Corkren (Conspiracy, Aggravated Identity Theft), and David Webb Tutt (Conspiracy). Holladay now faces a maximum five-year prison sentence and has agreed to potential monetary penalties imposed by a judge, according to court records. Montgomery, Alabama On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, six individuals appeared in court after being indicted on charges related to the fraudulent enrollment of students in Alabama virtual schools, announced United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr., and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kori Smith of the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Inspector General. The indictment also contains substantive wire fraud charges against Trey Holladay, Deborah Holladay, and Carter. Holladay and his co-defendants offered laptop computers, access to online curriculum, standardized testing and money to entice private schools, mostly located in Alabamas Black Belt, and gain access to those schools students private information, which they used to steal from the state, the press release states. April 20, 2023. The indictment states the purpose of the conspiracy was to obtain greater state funding allocations through the Foundation Program than they would otherwise have been entitled to Athens City Schools would then use, directly and indirectly, portions of the excess money to fund the completion of capital projects, including, the new campus of Athens High School. While the school system was mentioned in the indictment brought in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, the indictment does not name the Limestone County Board of Education or anyone currently involved with Limestone County Schools as defendants. Corkren faced an additional two-year sentence and up to $250,000 fine for the aggravated identity theft charge. Additionally, Trey Holladay, Carter, and Corkren are charged with aggravated identity theft. According to court records and information contained in Holladays plea agreement, Holladay and Sisk gave the state lists of enrolled students who were, in reality, full-time students at private schools located in other parts of the state. All rights reserved (About Us). Defense attorneys filed a motion with the court to delay the trial from its original September start in order to give them more time to . Co-defendants . Tutt will pay $259,000. None of the other individuals charged in the indictment remain affiliated with Athens City Schools in any manner. All three men will also face three years of supervised release at the end of those sentences and will pay hefty fines. The scheme saw educators steal the identities of students in private schools and then use them to bilk public schools out of millions. Thomas Sisk was the superintendent of the Limestone County, Alabama School District during the times investigated. www.acs-k12.org/board. Corkren and Tutt each faced a sentence of up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. A former Athens school superintendent has pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to defraud the Alabama State Department of Education by falsely inflating the number of students enrolled in public virtual schools. The charges against us are unfounded and will be vigorously defended. Upon reviewing the allegations against Dr. Rick Carter, Athens City Schools has placed him on administrative leave until further notice. Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and featured columnist at the Alabama Political Reporter with years of political reporting experience in Alabama. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired to fraudulently enroll students in public virtual schools and then falsely report those students to the Alabama State Department of Education. Jordan Holladay Tristan Hudson Noah Ingle Andrew Kaminsky Stephen Kight Riley McDonald Jake Monroe . According to a plea agreement finalized Thursday, Trey Holladay admitted that he, along with Thomas Michael Sisk, former superintendent of the Limestone County Schools system, conspired to. A trial date had been set for September 13th in Montgomery for former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay, his wife Deborah Holladay and Rick Carter, director of innovative. Former Athens superintendent Trey Hollaway, who pleaded guilty to his role in concocting a scheme to defraud public schools across the state, will spend the next 60 months in federal prison. Limestone Co Indictment by WAFF 48 on Scribd. is a thirty-one-year veteran public school educator with twenty-seven years in educational leadership. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay officially pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme on Thursday. Terms of Use Marshals, Secret Service assist in Hartselle, Bill passes to ban smoking in car with minor, Tuesday Morning set to close all its stores, 6 in, Domestic abuse victim shares story of attempted murder, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Surprise your mom with one of these Mothers Day, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, Best Mothers Day Gifts for moms obsessed with books, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. SCHOOL BOARD . Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, WHNT News 19 Sales Team Broadcast and Digital, Former Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk pleads guilty to fraud charge, Le Creuset just launched a dreamy new color for spring, Our fitness expert weighs in on this years top spring, Picnic-planning ideas for the spring season, Parents, teachers asks for upgrade to Highland Rim, Status hearing set for Casey White ahead of murder, HPD investigating robbery at Winchester Road business, Lee names fieldhouse after Condrege Holloway, SpaceX Crew-5 Astronauts visit Huntsville, Teen with rare disease prepares for first concert, Met Gala: Tennis star, supermodel reveal pregnancies, U.S. April 19, 2023. We will continue to hold high standards at every level from local schools to the state with the expectation that every public school dollar will be spent to support our children., Public officials and employees are obligated to perform their duties and administer funds with integrity and according to requirements of the law, said Alabama Attorney General Marshall. He still faces 88 counts of wire fraud and 34 counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment further alleges that the defendants went to various lengths to conceal the fraud from the state. W.L. The investigation remains ongoing and confidential at the request of federal officials. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The federal indictment claims that Holladay and his wife were the masterminds behind this plan. The school systems agreed to pay the consulting companies a percentage of the per-pupil funds.
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