Floyd County Schools Racketeering
Yesterday 10 Floyd County residents were arrested and charged under the Georgia RICO Act with the theft of more than $4 million from the Floyd County School System. Those arrested included school employees, their relatives and school suppliers. As reported by Blake Doss of the Rome News-Tribune:
Ten people have been arrested and Floyd County Police Assistant Chief Mark Wallace says they expect more arrests may be forthcoming. “I think more arrests are probable,” Wallace said. The Floyd County Police has been in touch with federal and state tax agencies and federal charges also may be possible in the future.
Floyd County Schools Superintendent John Jackson issued the following statement:
Floyd County Schools appreciates our partnership with participating law enforcement agencies as we work to ensure the most effective use of all education resources for the children of our community. We have had open cooperation with the investigative agencies and we are thankful for their efforts.
The investigation by local law enforcement is open and ongoing and representatives from the Floyd County Police Department have the most up-to-date information related to the case. Any statements related to the case would need to come from a law enforcement agency.
One wonders if Floyd County taxpayers might call to question the fiscal oversight of the administration as well as the Board of Education. Putting new procedures and processes in place after the fact might seem like too little too late.
About Author
IrishPat
Patrick Malone is a Business Advisor and Leadership Mentor headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia. He co-hosts Mountain Daybreak and Mountain Mornings, weekday news programs, and hosts This Week in Blairsville a weekend program on WJUL/WJRB. He is a mentor in Union County High School, serves on his church council and writes a monthly column on leadership in the animal healthcare industry.
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Also FTA: “New procedures and processes are in place to improve protection of funds entrusted to educate children and those new procedures are working. However, we understand that it is vital that the system is vigilant in continuous reviews of purchasing procedures.”
So yeah, a little late. But if you never look, you’ll never find.
Tighter oversight could have averted the Latin Academy Charter debacle too, where the head and founder peeled off $600K from school accounts which resulted in the school closing and 200 kids out of luck.