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. 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 systems received state funds for those students. Andy Trotter . 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. You can email him at [emailprotected] or reach him via Twitter. The four co-defendants each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to . 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. Former Limestone County Schools superintendent Tom Sisk was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy. Six people, including two former superintendents, are named in the indictment. APRs Josh Moon first reported about the FBIs investigation into Holladay in August when he reported that in less than three years, Limestones general fund budget swelled from a reserve balance of around $2 million to now more than $20 million. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 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. Peeples most recently served as an inspector in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington. And the investigation might not be over. Former Athens City Schools superintendent pleads guilty to conspiracy charge, 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, READ MORE: Former Limestone Co. 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. 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. Athens City School Superintendent Trey Holladay was placed on administrative leave after federal agents raided his home in June, 2020. All three men will also face three years of supervised release at the end of those sentences and will pay hefty fines. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Former Athens Superintendent William Lee "Trey" Holladay is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty for conspiracy in December. 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. Holladay was on leave from June 2020 until his last day with the district on Oct. 31, 2020. www.acs-k12.org/board. The various defendants then received, for theirown personal use, portions of the state money. Co-defendants Gregory Earl Corkren, David Webb Tutt, and Thomas Michael Sisk, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. Details on the plea agreement were released by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Montgomery on Thursday. Published on July 22, 2022 at 8:08 am CDT. Landon Powell, Matt Williams, Hunter Dilworth, Ryan Brown, Trey Dyson and JK Love. 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. TEAM MASCOT. Five others were named in Tuesdays indictment. A fourth defendant, former Limestone County superintendent Tom Sisk, was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison. 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. April 19, 2023. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The settlement also provides financial savings and more certainty for financial obligations under Holladays employment contract. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. 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 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. Copyright 2020 WAFF. The agreement states Holladay will face a minimum sentence of no fewer than 30 months in prison. RELATED: Athens City Schools approves separation agreement with former superintendent, $250,000 payment. City of Pasadena Releases Independent Review of Officer-Involved Shooting of Anthony McClain. 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. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. 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. (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. . DIVISION II STATE CHAMPIONS. 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. ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) - Former Athens superintendent, William Lee "Trey" Holladay has entered a guilty plea for a conspiracy charge. 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. WAFFs Madison Scarpino was at the meeting. Date: 8/14/2023. There are issues that most of Alabama knows we need to address. '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 L. "Trey" Holladay III on Thursday received the maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and ordered to pay $2.9 million in. Co-defendants Corkren, Tutt, and Sisk previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. All the while, the state reimbursed the Athens City Schools district and the Limestone County Schools district for the cost of supposedly educating these private school students. NINETY-SIX HIGH SCHOOL. A former correctional lieutenant was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday with counts of use of excessive force and obstruction. In fact, as mentioned during the Justice Departments press conference, the indictment does not include any current Limestone County School employees. Assistant Superintendent at Iredell-Statesville Schools Statesville, NC. 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. Robert Bentley's resignation for similar crimes. The three pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the scheme. Former Athens City School teacher Deborah Irby Holladay was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy and numerous charges of Wire Fraud. Co-defendant William Richard Carter, Jr., who headed up the Athens online school, is set for trial on February 7, 2022. The school systems agreed to pay the consulting companies a percentage of the per-pupil funds. Corkren also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. The scheme saw educators steal the identities of students in private schools and then use them to bilk public schools out of millions. Thompson noted that all of the private schools utilized in the scheme were located in the Black Belt region. The Day's Scoop: Your daily email briefing on all things Alabama politics. If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. Its just wrong, Opinion | Sen. Jay Hovey may have meant well, but he was wrong. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay officially pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme on Thursday. Co-defendants . Thomas Sisk was the superintendent of the Limestone County, Alabama School District during the times investigated. The DOJ reminds the public that an indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. As a result of this, districts received payments from Alabamas Education Trust Fund as if the students actually attended public schools. Published on May 25, 2021 at 2:25 pm CDT. Trey and Deborah Holladay released the following statement following the indictments release: We are a family of teachers and coaches. There is absolutely no way that we would do anything detrimental to the school system. FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr. Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector Generals Southeastern Regional Office. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. RELATED: 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]. 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. PRIVACY POLICY | Hollaway was ordered to pay $2.9 million. In a statement, Superintendent Eric Mackey said the state department had worked with investigators and prosecutors on the issue. William Lee Trey Holladay, III formally separated from Athens City Schools in October 2020. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. 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. 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. Carter will be sentenced in August. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Athens, Alabama. 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. 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). This page is not available in other languages. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme. Jordan Holladay Tristan Hudson Noah Ingle Andrew Kaminsky Stephen Kight Riley McDonald Jake Monroe . Reporter Josh Moon contributed to this report. 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 Crusader. Additionally, any defendant convicted of aggravated identity theft could receive a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence on each count. 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. None of the other individuals charged in the indictment remain affiliated with Athens City Schools in any manner. Published on December 17, 2021 at 7:52 am CST. Court records show on Tuesday Holladay changed his plea of not guilty to guilty for one count of conspiracy. Scoops about Oxford City Schools . If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. They anticipate to have a new superintendent in place very soon. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He left that post in February of 2020. Dr. Trey Holladay and Deborah Holladay released the following joint statement. 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 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 Day's Scoop: Your daily email briefing on all things Alabama politics. 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. 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. He is one of six state educators accused of enrolling those private school students into their virtual classes to get their tax dollars. Scroll to continue reading. Alabama Board of Education Vice President Wayne Reynolds told AL.com that the sentences were justified. . The Alabama department of education wanted defendants to repay $5.7 million paid to Athens City Schools for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. Jul. Deborah Holladay is the wife of Trey Holladay and was a teacher employed by the Athens City School District at the times investigated. Hubbard, originally sentenced to four years for violating ethics laws, has been in the custody of the ADOC since September 2020. The charges against us are unfounded and will be vigorously defended. See WAFFs story below from October 2020 when the Athens City Board of Education removed Holladay from his role as Superintendent. with co-defendants former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay and former Athens City School principal and administrator Rick Carter . All three must report to the Bureau of Prisons by 2 p.m. on Sept. 1. TM & document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); Funds allocated for education should be spent to educate our public school students. 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. There is absolutely no way that we would do anything detrimental to the school system. First Day of School 2023-2024. 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. Scholastic Inc. 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. 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. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The Dept. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He still faces 88 counts of wire fraud and 34 counts of aggravated identity theft. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. ACS 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. He left Limestone County Schools to become the director of Bristol, TN schools. To learn more about The Alabama Education Lab and receive notifications about stories and events, sign up for its newsletter, Ed Chat. 20Former Limestone County Superintendent Tom Sisk was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty on April 8, 2021 to conspiring to defraud the United States government. Holladay was on leave from June 2020 until his last day with the district on Oct. 31, 2020. Carter faces up to 20 years in prison in addition to fines and restitution. Terms of Use 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.
Fort Bend County Candidates 2022,
Joe Lonsdale Austin House,
Case Studies On Diversity And Social Justice Pdf,
Tomi Arayomi Prophecy On Nigeria,
Welcome To Collinwood Filming Locations,
Articles T