The six-day protest was their first in decades and led to a 6% raise for teachers, added nurses and school . Tom Sisk, who pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme, will serve 18 months in federal 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 indictment further alleges that the defendants went to various lengths to conceal the fraud from the state. These sentences may seem severe, but they are in accordance with the severity of the criminal acts these individuals committed.. Former Athens City School teacher Deborah Irby Holladay was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy and numerous charges of Wire Fraud. Officials say this settlement payment resolves and eliminates any further compensation as well as other expenses which may have otherwise been obliged to pay related to the matter. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Carter faces up to 20 years in prison in addition to fines and restitution. The DOJ reminds the public that an indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. W.L. NINETY-SIX HIGH SCHOOL. The investigation remains ongoing and confidential at the request of federal officials. 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Thompson noted that all of the private schools utilized in the scheme were located in the Black Belt region. According to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office on December 16, Holladay admitted that he and co-defendant Thomas Michael Sisk conspired to inflate the number of students enrolled at Athens City Schools and Limestone County Schools. Sentencing is expected next year. Holladay was one of three defendants sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson. Current Limestone County Schools Superintendent Dr. Randy Shearouse released this statement: On Tuesday, February 23, 2021, Limestone County Schools learned it was mentioned in an indictment for involvement with a virtual school program during the 2016-2017 school year. So far, the operators of the private schools have not faced charges for their roles, if any, in the scheme. David Tutt was a resident of Marengo County. Any defendant convicted of wire or mail fraud faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. All three must report to the Bureau of Prisons by 2 p.m. on Sept. 1. The two superintendents then received state money for the inflated enrollment numbers, which they then kept for personal use, through a complicated system of false report cards, false addresses and false completion reports, prosecutors said. The private schools used in the scheme are almost entirely white. The three pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the scheme. 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. 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. Former Limestone County Schools superintendent Tom Sisk was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy. . Two more of his co-conspirators will join him for at least a portion of that time. Moving forward, we will be a transparent and accountable school system which provides the best educational experience we can for our students.. Advertisement. All six of the defendants are charged with conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud. The agreement states Holladay will face a minimum sentence of no fewer than 30 months in prison. is a thirty-one-year veteran public school educator with twenty-seven years in educational leadership. Jul. The school system will continue to work with federal officials and the Alabama State Department of Education as the matter proceeds in court. As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorneys Office will move to dismiss other charges against Holladay. School of Extended Educational Options (SEEO), http://www.pusd.org/education/sctemp/d3791dd2c7ae6f68b7dd64a4d6adcbf7/1208669480/District_Boundry_Map.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pomona_Unified_School_District&oldid=1149498594, Deputy Superintendent, Human Resources: Darren Knowles, Interim Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services: Lilia Fuentes, Interim Assistant Superintendent, Chief Financial Officer: Sandra Garcia, Assistant Superintendent, Pupil & Community Services: Fernando Meza, Fremont Academy of Engineering and Design, Lorbeer Middle School - California Distinguished School, 1999; National Blue Ribbon School, 19992000, This page was last edited on 12 April 2023, at 16:31. The systems received state funds for those students. DIVISION II STATE CHAMPIONS. Trey and Deborah Holladay released the following statement following the indictments release: We are a family of teachers and coaches. The students continued to attend the brick-and-mortar private schools each day, they received instruction from employees of the private schools, and, after class, some played sports for their private schools. TM & document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); Corkren and Tutt each faced a sentence of up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. They anticipate to have a new superintendent in place very soon. 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. SUPERINTENDENT. All rights reserved. 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The four co-defendants each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to . The money Alabama sets aside for public education should be used for exactly thateducating the students of our public schools, stated United States Attorney Franklin. NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Astronauts Visits Marshall Space Flight Center, Mental Health Awareness Month: Erasing the stigma of mental illness, Athens City Schools approves separation agreement with former superintendent, $250,000 payment, Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk heading to Bristol, TN Board of Education. All sections in the city are zoned to an elementary, middle, and high school.[3]. In fact, as mentioned during the Justice Departments press conference, the indictment does not include any current Limestone County School employees. enewscourier.com . Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. You can email him at [emailprotected] or reach him via Twitter. The system refers further inquiries about the matter to Dr. Holladay's legal counsel and the federal officials involved." . 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. Former Athens City Schools superintendent Trey Holladay has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to participating in a multiyear scheme to defraud the state. And the investigation might not be over. The defendants named in the indictment are Dr. William L. ("Trey") Holladay, III, 56, a resident of Athens, Alabama and the former superintendent of the Athens City Schools district; Deborah Irby Holladay, 57, of Athens and formerly employed by the Athens City Schools district; William Richard ("Rick") Carter, Jr., 45, also of Athens, currently The Day's Scoop: Your daily email briefing on all things Alabama politics. SCHOOL BOARD . Court records show on Tuesday Holladay changed his plea of not guilty to guilty for one count of conspiracy. 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. Trey Holladay. RELATED: Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk heading to Bristol, TN Board of Education. Dr. Beth Taylor. Holladays wife, Deborah, was accused in the federal indictment of establishing a bogus consulting company, which the Athens system allegedly paid to locate virtual students. 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 . 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. The former superintendent of the Athens City Schools System on Thursday pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to defraud the state by inflating the number of students enrolled in a virtual school. Superintendent pleads guilty in fraud case. Trey received a master's degree degree from West Alabama . Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and featured columnist at the Alabama Political Reporter with years of political reporting experience in Alabama. Co-defendants Corkren, Tutt, and Sisk previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. He left Limestone County Schools to become the director of Bristol, TN schools. The school systems agreed to pay the consulting companies a percentage of the per-pupil funds. First Day of School 2023-2024. 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. 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. A fourth defendant, former Limestone County superintendent Tom Sisk, was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison. This was accomplished by enrolling full time in-person students into their respective virtual schools. The charges against us are unfounded and will be vigorously defended. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme. Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America. In doing so, they stole children and parents identities and bribed administrators of private schools. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. His previous experience includes system-wide administrator, high school principal, elementary principal, assistant principal, athletic director, classroom teacher, and head . Former Athens City Schools (ACS) Superintendent Trey Holladay and former Limestone County Superintendent Tom Sisk were both indicted, along with Deborah Irby Holladay, Trey Holladay's. TEAM MASCOT. The jury found Lorenzo Mills guilty of assaulting three incarcerated people with a riot baton and falsifying a report. Scroll to continue reading. The U.S. Department of Justice released an indictment Tuesday related to the investigation of a former Superintendent of Athens City Schools. Athens, Alabama. Holladay , . In the initial indictment, prosecutors said that the two school districts were improperly paid $7 million in the scheme, which Holladay, Sisk and four alleged codefendants diverted. The defendants offered the private schools various inducementsincluding computers, direct payments, and access to online curriculumto persuade them to share their students academic records and personal identifying information with the public school districts. 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). We appreciate so much the overwhelming support from our friends and community. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. The federal investigation has been ongoing since that time. 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. PRIVACY POLICY | In connection with the agreements to acquire student information from the private schools, the co-conspirators paid over $600,000 of the money the Athens district received to the participating private schools and their employees and administrators. As Attorney General, I am committed to stand together with our partners in law enforcement to ensure that allegations of wrongdoing are investigated, and that appropriate action is taken.. is a thirty-one-year veteran public school educator with twenty-seven years in educational leadership.He is in his fourth year as superintendent of the Athens City Schools system in Athens, AL. Its just wrong, Opinion | Sen. Jay Hovey may have meant well, but he was wrong. Jordan Holladay Tristan Hudson Noah Ingle Andrew Kaminsky Stephen Kight Riley McDonald Jake Monroe . Robert Bentley's resignation for similar crimes. The defendants named in the indictment are: (1)Dr. William L. (Trey) Holladay, III, 56, a resident of Athens, Alabama and the former superintendent of the Athens City Schools district; (2)Deborah Irby Holladay, 57, of Athens and formerly employed by the Athens City Schools district; (3)William Richard (Rick) Carter, Jr., 45, also of Athens, currently the executive director of planning for Athens City Schools and formerly the districts director of innovative programs; (4)David Webb Tutt, 61, of Uniontown, Alabama; (5)Gregory (Greg) Earl Corkren, 56, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and (6)Thomas Michael Sisk, 55, a resident of Toney, Alabama and formerly the superintendent of the Limestone County School district. None of the other individuals charged in the indictment remain affiliated with Athens City Schools in any manner. He faces a maximum prison sentence of five years along with substantial monetary penalties. The scheme saw educators steal the identities of students in private schools and then use them to bilk public schools out of millions. . All rights reserved. Eddie Burkhalter is a reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter. 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. In the court records, federal officials also said they will drop charges against Holladays wife, Deborah Holladay, who initially was charged with six counts of wire fraud. 'Trey' Holladay, Ed.D. 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. Dr. Holladay has almost two years remaining on his superintendent contract. Wednesday, March 15, 2023 Print Edition St. Patrick's Day in Athens A Tuscaloosa County man mentioned more than 150 times in a federal indictment involving four local former educators received more. Deborah Holladay is the wife of Trey Holladay and was a teacher employed by the Athens City School District at the times investigated. All three men will also face three years of supervised release at the end of those sentences and will pay hefty fines. Ill write about them over and over again. He faces up to 20 years in prison. He is one of six state educators accused of enrolling those private school students into their virtual classes to get their tax dollars. Former teacher Greg Corkren and former Marengo High football coach Webb Tutt will serve 22 and 24 months, respectively, in federal prison. The Board has not been informed of a date certain for the conclusion of the investigation. www.acs-k12.org/board. Athens City School Superintendent Trey Holladay was placed on administrative leave after federal agents raided his home in June, 2020. Court records show on Tuesday Holladay. Reporter Josh Moon contributed to this report. However, over the course of several years, the individuals named in the indictment betrayed the trust of not only our citizens but our students, parents, and other teachers and administrators who continue to work diligently every day. They stole from the children of Alabama, he said. The Athens City Board of Education voted 5-2 Wednesday to hire William "Trey" Holladay as superintendent contingent on contract approval. Assistant Superintendent at Iredell-Statesville Schools Statesville, NC. Page 2. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). 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. According to the indictment, the defendants obtained student identities to use in their scheme from various private schools located across the stateparticularly private schools in the Black Belt region of Alabama. Show All Show Calendar. April 27, 2023. He still faces 88 counts of wire fraud and 34 counts of aggravated identity theft. Holladay now faces a maximum five-year prison sentence and has agreed to potential monetary penalties imposed by a judge, according to court records. Trey Holladay. A federal grand jury indicted William Lee "Trey" Holladay III, 56, of Athens, the former Athens City superintendent, and former Limestone County Schools superintendent Thomas Michael Sisk, 55, of . Two other co-defendants Greg Corkren and David Tutt have admitted to operating similar businesses, with all involved raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars for locating virtual students that never actually enrolled in the Athens virtual school. Hubbard, originally sentenced to four years for violating ethics laws, has been in the custody of the ADOC since September 2020. Moving forward, we will be a transparent and accountable school system which provides the best educational experience we can for our students. Copyright 2021 WAFF. Corkren will pay $1.3 million. 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. If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. The U.S. Attorneys Office made a motion to dismiss all pending charges against his wife on December 16 as well. It goes on to allege, "It was a purpose of the conspiracy for Trey Holladay, Deborah Holladay, Carter, Corkren, Tutt, and Sisk to obtain, directly and indirectly, for their own personal use, portions of the increased revenue generated for ACS, LCS, and CCS by the fraudulent enrollment of private school students in the ACS, LCS, and CCS virtual schools.". We will continue to cooperate with Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart and her team until the matter is completely adjudicated and settled.. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent William "Trey" Holladay was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy and dozens of charges of Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft. As a result of the fraudulent reporting the school systems received payments from Alabamas Education Trust Fund as if the students actually attended public schools. Trey Holladay, the mastermind of the virtual school scam, was hit with a lengthy prison sentence and hefty fine. Zwingli and the other reformers showed that engaging in debate about faith was intellectually progressive. Additionally, any defendant convicted of aggravated identity theft could receive a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence on each count. Co-defendants Gregory Earl Corkren, David Webb Tutt, and Thomas Michael Sisk, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. The Los Angeles teachers union's last strike was in 2019. In the four months that the investigation has been underway, officials within the school system say they have fully cooperated with a federal investigation, and, per the superintendents contract, has continued to pay Holladays salary and related benefits. In fact, as mentioned during the Justice Departments press conference, the indictment does not include any current Limestone County School employees. During his professional career, Tutt held various positions, including football coach at Marengo Academy in Linden. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. He is in his fourth year as superintendent of the Athens City Schools system in Athens, AL. He is one of two former schools superintendents, including former Limestone county Superintendent Tom Sisk, accused of conspiracy to defraud the U.S Government. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). Five others were named in Tuesdays indictment. We appreciate so much the overwhelming support from our friends and community. And Thompson said testimony revealed that 98 percent of the students used in the scheme were white. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The Alabama Attorney Generals Office also assisted in the investigation. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. of Justice explained in a statement: 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. Alabama Board of Education Vice President Wayne Reynolds told AL.com that the sentences were justified. Limestone Co Indictment by WAFF 48 on Scribd. They also concocted a scheme in which Tutt, Corkren and Deborah Holladay, Trey Holladays wife, created consulting companies that allegedly recruited students to the virtual schools. That is completely unacceptable, said Kori Smith, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector Generals Southeastern Regional Office. Carter will be sentenced in August. According to the indictment, "The purpose of the conspiracy for ACS [Athens City Schools], LCS [Limestone County Schools], and CCS [Conecuh County Schools] to obtain greater statefunding allocations through the Foundation Program than they would otherwise have been entitled to by purporting to enroll into their respective virtual schools students who were in fact full-time students of brick-and-mortar private schools and who were not taking even close to what could be considered full course loads through a virtual education program. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan S. Ross, Alice S. LaCour, and Brett J. Talley are prosecuting the case. Co-defendants . 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.
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