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. In fact, the indictment alleged, the Holladays were simply being paid for the phony transcripts of private school students. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. Holladay was one of three defendants sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. 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. There is absolutely no way that we would do anything detrimental to the school system. These sentences may seem severe, but they are in accordance with the severity of the criminal acts these individuals committed.. Andy Trotter . 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. FBI confirms 'law enforcement action' taken at Athens City Schools 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. Former Athens Superintendent set to receive sentence after guilty Athens City School Administrator Found Guilty in Virtual Education 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. Athens, Alabama. Rick Carter, a former principal in Athens, was found guilty by a federal court jury earlier this year for his role in the scheme and is awaiting sentencing. During the school years that the scheme allegedly occurredthe 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school yearsthe private school students and parents had little to no connection with the public school districts in which they were supposedly enrolled. TM & document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); Assistant Superintendent at Iredell-Statesville Schools Statesville, NC. Former Athens superintendent pleaded guilty to conspiracy in virtual According to a former lawmaker, the FBI and U.S. Department of Education were asking questions about other possible issues within Alabamas virtual schools as late as this fall. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. When I was hired as your State Superintendent, I committed to improving education in our state which includes working closely with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure fiscal responsibility and accountability, so every crucial dollar is spent on educating our students, said Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Superintendent Trey Holladay is shown in a photo on the Athens City Schools website. Landon Powell, Matt Williams, Hunter Dilworth, Ryan Brown, Trey Dyson and JK Love. 'Trey' Holladay, Ed.D. In his sentencing order on Thursday, federal judge Myron Thompson noted that the now-felons preyed upon some of the poorest school districts in Alabama, diverting hundreds of thousands of public school dollars from Alabama public schools and sending them instead to mostly white private schools that were operating in predominantly Black counties. Five others were named in Tuesdays indictment. . The Athens City Board of Education voted 5-2 Wednesday to hire William "Trey" Holladay as superintendent contingent on contract approval. Ivey announces new record low unemployment rate for Alabama, Small business optimism declines in March, 2022 economic development projects brought record capital investment, Online job ads in February down 12.4 percent from last year, Britt: Kids Social Media Act critical for protecting children, Sewell calls on Congress to reject Republican debt ceiling demands, Britt part of bipartisan effort to regulate kids use of social media, US Sen. 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Moving forward, we will be a transparent and accountable school system which provides the best educational experience we can for our students. A fourth defendant, former Limestone County superintendent Tom Sisk, was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison. The public schools in those counties are made up almost entirely of Black 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). The three pleaded guilty last year for their roles in the scheme. The Los Angeles teachers union's last strike was in 2019. The first of the Measure PS projects were completed in summer 2009. Athens City School Superintendent Trey Holladay was placed on administrative leave after federal agents raided his home in June, 2020. 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. Dr. Holladay has almost two years remaining on his superintendent contract. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. Former Limestone County Schools superintendent Tom Sisk was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy. The private school parents continued to pay tuition to the private schools. Holladay sentenced to five years | News | enewscourier.com The Day's Scoop: Your daily email briefing on all things Alabama politics. April 20, 2023. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The systems received state funds for those students. Six people, including two former superintendents, are named in the indictment. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay will be sentenced July 21, along with Gregory Earl Corkren and David Webb Tutt. In doing so, they stole children and parents identities and bribed administrators of private schools. Trey Holladay is a Principal at Oxford City Schools based in Oxford, Alabama. Holladays next court date was scheduled for February 2022. The four co-defendants each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to . First Day of School 2023-2024. Holladay is accused of purposely scheming private school students and their parents out of millions of dollars for his personal gain. There are issues that most of Alabama knows we need to address. Walnut Valley Unified School District 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. 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.. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. Trey Holladay, 57, faces up to five years in prison and substantial monetary penalties according to a statement by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Alabama. WAFF 48 reached out to Athens City Schools for a comment regarding this case. Peeples most recently served as an inspector in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington. 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Former Alabama school superintendent sentenced in school fraud case 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). Another round of projects was set for summer 2010, at 21 schools. | The federal investigation has been ongoing since that time. Now a resident of Montgomery, Holladay pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Alabama State Department of Education. RELATED: Limestone County Schools Superintendent Tom Sisk heading to Bristol, TN Board of Education. The high number of counts, a total of of 127, is because each alleged instance of fraudulent enrollment and identity theft is a separate count. His previous experience includes system-wide administrator, high school principal, elementary principal, assistant principal, athletic director, classroom teacher, and head . Trey Holladay, the mastermind of the virtual school scam, was hit with a lengthy prison sentence and hefty fine. Gregory Corkren was a resident of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and was a retired public educator. Advertisement. 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. He left that post in February of 2020. We are a family of teachers and coaches. Thomas Sisk was the superintendent of the Limestone County, Alabama School District during the times investigated. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. 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. The U.S. Department of Justice released an indictment Tuesday related to the investigation of a former Superintendent of Athens City Schools. . STEALING FROM THE STATE: Ex-superintendents indicted in multiyear District, teachers, at odds. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Superintendent pleads guilty in fraud case. 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. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. The Athens City Schools Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday at 7:30 a.m. None of the other individuals charged in the indictment remain affiliated with Athens City Schools in any manner. The scheme saw educators steal the identities of students in private schools and then use them to bilk public schools out of millions. The Board has not been informed of a date certain for the conclusion of the investigation. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. 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. 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 various defendants then received, for theirown personal use, portions of the state money. There is absolutely no way that we would do anything detrimental to the school system. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved. And Thompson said testimony revealed that 98 percent of the students used in the scheme were white. 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. 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. Because of state laws, Athens Schools officials have been unable to terminate Rick Carter, who was convicted in March of seven felonies. 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. William Lee Trey Holladay, III formally separated from Athens City Schools in October 2020. Thursday night the Athens City School Board announced they are going forward in making changes in the districts leadership. Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America. 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.". Rick Carter is an employee of the Athens City School District with some past duties including technology teacher and virtual programs coordinator. Pasadena's Minimum Wage Rate Increases to $16.93 on July 1. The Alabama Attorney Generals Office also assisted in the investigation. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Montgomery has named two former school superintendents in an indictment. Published on July 22, 2022 at 8:08 am CDT. Example video title will go here for this video. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Additionally, Athens City Schools filed a motion for a protective order of education records in November. All three must report to the Bureau of Prisons by 2 p.m. on Sept. 1. City of Pasadena Celebrates AAPI Heritage Month. Robert Bentley's resignation for similar crimes. As a result of this, districts received payments from Alabamas Education Trust Fund as if the students actually attended public schools. Former North Alabama superintendents to be sentenced in July Trey Holladay. Jul. Co-defendant William Richard Carter, Jr. is currently set for trial on February 7, 2022. And the investigation might not be over. Reporter Josh Moon contributed to this report. ATHENS, Ala. A former Athens City Schools superintendent and a former Limestone County Schools superintendent are two of the six people listed in a federal indictment involving charges of Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, and Aggravated Identity Theft. 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. The federal indictment claims that Holladay and his wife were the masterminds behind this plan. If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. In 1995 the school district bought the former Indian Hill Mall, a failing shopping center built in the 1960s, and . Former Athens superintendent ordered to serve years in federal prison Moving forward, we will be a transparent and accountable school system which provides the best educational experience we can for our students.. 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 . 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.". 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. Published on December 17, 2021 at 7:52 am CST. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay officially pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme on Thursday. LA Unified strike nears; teachers plan to join other workers in protest Six of the defendants in the lawsuit former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay, his wife Deborah Holladay, ACS Director of Planning Rick Carter, former Limestone County Schools . The mastermind of Alabamas virtual school enrollment scam was sentenced Thursday to a half-decade in federal prison. ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) - Former Athens superintendent, William Lee "Trey" Holladay has entered a guilty plea for a conspiracy charge. Corkren and Tutt each faced a sentence of up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. 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. 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. Trey and Deborah Holladay released the following statement following the indictments release: We are a family of teachers and coaches. 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. Retired Superintendent Of Ed., Athens City Schools Experience at: Athens City Schools, School Superintendents of Alabama, Personalized Learning - Athens Renaissance Additionally, any defendant convicted of aggravated identity theft could receive a mandatory consecutive two-year sentence on each count. Any defendant convicted of wire or mail fraud faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. The settlement also provides financial savings and more certainty for financial obligations under Holladays employment contract. W.L. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme. 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. 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. enewscourier.com . In a statement, Superintendent Eric Mackey said the state department had worked with investigators and prosecutors on the issue. 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 Board says they will begin the process and timeline for posting and selecting a new superintendent within the next few weeks. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. Former Limestone County superintendent sentenced in fraud case Former Athens, Limestone superintendents face federal conspiracy - WAFF DIVISION II STATE CHAMPIONS. Holladay left the school district months after the FBI started investigating him in 2020. Published on May 25, 2021 at 2:25 pm CDT. 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