April 20, 2023. Corkren also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. Former teacher Greg Corkren and former Marengo High football coach Webb Tutt will serve 22 and 24 months, respectively, in federal prison. Dr. Beth Taylor. Holladay was on leave from June 2020 until his last day with the district on Oct. 31, 2020. Holladays next court date was scheduled for February 2022. We are an equal opportunity employer and educator who fully and actively supports equal access for all people regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability. Holladay left the school district months after the FBI started investigating him in 2020. Details on the plea agreement were released by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montgomery on Thursday. Terms of Use The agreement states Holladay will face a minimum sentence of no fewer than 30 months in prison. The U.S. Attorneys Office made a motion to dismiss all pending charges against his wife on December 16 as well. Deborah Holladay is the wife of Trey Holladay and was a teacher employed by the Athens City School District at the times investigated. Federal officials said the two former superintendents and four other people fraudulently claimed private school students who attended schools in the Black Belt Region, were enrolled full time in Athens City and Limestone County School Districts. 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. The Los Angeles teachers union's last strike was in 2019. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Here, both the Limestone County School District and the Athens City School District received more than their fair share of funding at the expense of even the most cash-strapped school district, Thompson wrote. 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 defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Limestone County Schools released a response to the indictment: 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. His previous experience includes system-wide administrator, high school principal, elementary principal, assistant principal, athletic director, classroom teacher, and head . 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. Carter faces up to 20 years in prison in addition to fines and restitution. 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 tell the state false numbers of students in their school systems so that they could pocket additional state money. The six-day protest was their first in decades and led to a 6% raise for teachers, added nurses and school . (STOCK) The trial date in a multi-million dollar fraud case against former Athens Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay and two others has been delayed until early 2022. Holladay faces up to five years in prison and large fines after pleading guilty. William Richard Carter, Jr. is currently set for trial on February 7, 2022. This was accomplished by enrolling full time in-person students into their respective virtual schools. 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. Limestone Co Indictment by WAFF 48 on Scribd. According to the plea agreement, additional charges of wire fraud and identity theft against Holladay were dropped. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Former Athens City School teacher Deborah Irby Holladay was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy and numerous charges of Wire Fraud. Superintendent pleads guilty in fraud case. Retired teacher Gregory Greg Earl Corkren was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison and must pay $1.3 million in restitution, and former Marengo Academy football coach David Webb Tutt was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison and must pay restitution of $259,000 and a fine of $15,000. When he entered his guilty plea, Holladay admitted that he, along with co-defendant Thomas Michael Sisk, superintendent of the Limestone County Schools system (LCS), conspired to fraudulently inflate the number of students enrolled in their systems, the statement reads. 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. The three pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the scheme. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. W.L. Holladay , . The indictment also contains substantive wire fraud charges against Trey Holladay, Deborah Holladay, and Carter. Additionally, Trey Holladay, Carter, and Corkren are charged with aggravated identity theft. The various defendants then received, for theirown personal use, portions of the state money. These sentences may seem severe, but they are in accordance with the severity of the criminal acts these individuals committed.. The school systems agreed to pay the consulting companies a percentage of the per-pupil funds. Because of state laws, Athens Schools officials have been unable to terminate Rick Carter, who was convicted in March of seven felonies. 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. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. The Plaintiffs, in this case, are students who prosecutors say had their identities stolen. 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. He is also listed as a friend of Trey Holladay in the indictment. TEAM MASCOT. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. Landon Powell, Matt Williams, Hunter Dilworth, Ryan Brown, Trey Dyson and JK Love. Making sure that victims of federal crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Former Athens City Schools superintendent Trey Holladay was sentenced Thursday afternoon to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to participating in a multiyear scheme to. Published on July 22, 2022 at 8:08 am CDT. 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). Retired Superintendent Of Ed., Athens City Schools Experience at: Athens City Schools, School Superintendents of Alabama, Personalized Learning - Athens Renaissance Those students continued to attend brick-and-mortar private schools each day, continued to participate in private school athletics and their parents continued to pay tuition to the private schools. The Day's Scoop: Your daily email briefing on all things Alabama politics. Five others were named in Tuesdays indictment. It is located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and is the third-largest school district in Los Angeles County. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. Alabama Board of Education Vice President Wayne Reynolds told AL.com that the sentences were justified. 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. Co-defendants . NINETY-SIX HIGH SCHOOL. There are issues that most of Alabama knows we need to address. 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. Corkren will pay $1.3 million. SUPERINTENDENT. 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. The systems received state funds for those students. 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). Peeples most recently served as an inspector in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington. ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) - UPDATE: See details from Thursdays special meeting of the Athens City Board of Education below the details of each individuals charges. 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. The state department told federal officials it had recouped funding from Limestone and Conecuh counties, but did not state the amounts. Scoops about Oxford City Schools . Trey Holladay. 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. 'Trey' Holladay, Ed.D. Its just wrong, Opinion | Sen. Jay Hovey may have meant well, but he was wrong. 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. Athens had experienced a similar uptick in revenue the last five years. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Board of Education members are elected to a four-year term. Copyright 2021 WAFF. All rights reserved (About Us). Another round of projects was set for summer 2010, at 21 schools. Co-defendants Corkren, Tutt, and Sisk previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. 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). Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. Two more of his co-conspirators will join him for at least a portion of that time. 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. The FBI started investigating Holladays home in June 2020. Gregory Corkren was a resident of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and was a retired public educator. Pomona Unified School District or PUSD serves approximately 30,000 Pre-K-12 students and 17,000 adult learners at 44 schools in Pomona and Diamond Bar, California.It is located 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, and is the third-largest school district in Los Angeles County.. He is one of two former schools superintendents, including former Limestone county Superintendent Tom Sisk, accused of conspiracy to defraud the U.S Government. Its just wrong, Opinion | Sen. Jay Hovey may have meant well, but he was wrong. Carter's co-conspirators include former superintendent of the Athens City Schools district Dr. William L. ("Trey") Holladay, III; David Webb Tutt, of Uniontown, Alabama; Gregory ("Greg") Earl Corkren, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and former superintendent of the Limestone County School district Thomas Michael Sisk. 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. Published on May 25, 2021 at 2:25 pm CDT. Alabamas community colleges have experienced an increase in enrollment by at least 5 percent each year since 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. This page is not available in other languages. Andy Trotter . He faces a maximum prison sentence of five years along with substantial monetary penalties. Scroll to continue reading. 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. Show All Show Calendar. 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. 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. Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and featured columnist at the Alabama Political Reporter with years of political reporting experience in Alabama. A federal judge granted the motion on Dec. 7. W.L. 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.. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Tutt is listed as a longtime friend of Trey Holladay in the indictment. 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. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay, his wife and former Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk are among those named in a federal. 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. 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. Corkren faced an additional two-year sentence and up to $250,000 fine for the aggravated identity theft charge. The various defendants then received, for their own personal use, portions of the state money. Holladay was on leave from June 2020 until his last day with the district on Oct. 31, 2020. There is absolutely no way that we would do anything detrimental to the school system. 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. Tutt will pay $259,000. Details on the plea agreement were released by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Montgomery on Thursday. 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. So far, the operators of the private schools have not faced charges for their roles, if any, in the scheme. Trey Holladay, the mastermind of the virtual school scam, was hit with a lengthy prison sentence and hefty fine. The investigation remains ongoing and confidential at the request of federal officials. The private schools used in the scheme are almost entirely white. . LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme.

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