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). A former correctional lieutenant was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday with counts of use of excessive force and obstruction. 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. He is one of two former schools superintendents, including former Limestone county Superintendent Tom Sisk, accused of conspiracy to defraud the U.S Government. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. Dr. Trey Holladay and Deborah Holladay released the following joint statement. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. Retired Superintendent Of Ed., Athens City Schools Experience at: Athens City Schools, School Superintendents of Alabama, Personalized Learning - Athens Renaissance The private school parents continued to pay tuition to the private schools. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay and former Limestone County. All sections in the city are zoned to an elementary, middle, and high school.[3]. Moving forward, we will be a transparent and accountable school system which provides the best educational experience we can for our students. 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. 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. W.L. All three men will also face three years of supervised release at the end of those sentences and will pay hefty fines. 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. 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. Sentencing is expected next year. In 1995 the school district bought the former Indian Hill Mall, a failing shopping center built in the 1960s, and . 'Trey' Holladay, Ed.D. 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. Former teacher Greg Corkren and former Marengo High football coach Webb Tutt will serve 22 and 24 months, respectively, in federal prison. As part of the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorneys Office will move to dismiss other charges against Holladay. Terms of Use 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. In a statement, Superintendent Eric Mackey said the state department had worked with investigators and prosecutors on the issue. Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and featured columnist at the Alabama Political Reporter with years of political reporting experience in Alabama. ACADEMIC CHALLENGE TEAM. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Now a resident of Montgomery, Holladay pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Alabama State Department of Education. 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. Codefendants Gregory Earl Corkren, David Webb Tutt and Sisk previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. www.acs-k12.org/board. 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 . 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. There are issues that most of Alabama knows we need to address. Holladays next court date was scheduled for February 2022. Holladay is accused of purposely scheming private school students and their parents out of millions of dollars for his personal gain. Each will have three years of supervised release after serving prison time. All rights reserved. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. 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-defendant William Richard Carter, Jr. is currently set for trial on February 7, 2022. The school systems agreed to pay the consulting companies a percentage of the per-pupil funds. Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America. 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. They stole from the children of Alabama, he said. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The defendants in this case prioritized their own profits over the education needs of our students. 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. Scholastic Inc. Holladay now faces a maximum five-year prison sentence and has agreed to potential monetary penalties imposed by a judge, according to court records. 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. A federal judge granted the motion on Dec. 7. 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. And Thompson said testimony revealed that 98 percent of the students used in the scheme were white. 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 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. The various defendants then received, for their own 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. Another round of projects was set for summer 2010, at 21 schools. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Athens City School Superintendent Trey Holladay was placed on administrative leave after federal agents raided his home in June, 2020. All rights reserved (About Us). As a result of this, districts received payments from Alabamas Education Trust Fund as if the students actually attended public schools. The Los Angeles teachers union's last strike was in 2019. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. 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. Page 2. The Athens City Board of Education voted 5-2 Wednesday to hire William "Trey" Holladay as superintendent contingent on contract approval. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. William Lee Trey Holladay, III formally separated from Athens City Schools in October 2020. Deborah Holladay is the wife of Trey Holladay and was a teacher employed by the Athens City School District at the times investigated. 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 a result of this, districts received payments from Alabamas Education Trust Fund as if the students actually attended public schools. 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. The Dept. Example video title will go here for this video. 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. 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.". As a result, the private schools obtained funds that they were not lawfully entitled to receive.. The systems received state funds for those students. Former Limestone County Schools superintendent Tom Sisk was indicted on one charge of Conspiracy. The DOJ reminds the public that an indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. The U.S. Attorneys Office made a motion to dismiss all pending charges against his wife on December 16 as well. Carters motion for a new trial was rejected by Judge Thompson. Co-defendant William Richard Carter, Jr., who headed up the Athens online school, is set for trial on February 7, 2022. Thompson noted that all of the private schools utilized in the scheme were located in the Black Belt region. The six-day protest was their first in decades and led to a 6% raise for teachers, added nurses and school . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Subscribe to EDU for a bi-weekly digest of articles.Privacy Policy, Scholastics blog abouteducation and learning. 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. 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. David Rothwell Athletic Director at Iredell-Statesville Schools Statesville, NC. 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 Day's Scoop: Your daily email briefing on all things Alabama politics. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, the DOJ says that , "Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five ears imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. A fourth defendant, former Limestone County superintendent Tom Sisk, was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison. 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. DIVISION II STATE CHAMPIONS. 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). Eddie Burkhalter is a reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. A few years ago, some of the same people excusing Trump's recent indictment were celebrating Gov. 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. If youre thinking of altering your workout routine, youre probably looking for new exercises and equipment to help you reach your fitness goals. The Athens City Schools Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday at 7:30 a.m. Trey received a master's degree degree from West Alabama . Published on May 25, 2021 at 2:25 pm CDT. . The FBI started investigating Holladays home in June 2020. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. 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. 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. 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. In fact, the indictment alleged, the Holladays were simply being paid for the phony transcripts of private school students. 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. Because of state laws, Athens Schools officials have been unable to terminate Rick Carter, who was convicted in March of seven felonies. According to court documents, education records will not be disclosed to the public, however, they will only be shared with those involved in this case. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme. April 19, 2023. 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. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Upon reviewing the allegations against Dr. Rick Carter, Athens City Schools has placed him on administrative leave until further notice. Advertisement. 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. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Corkren faced an additional two-year sentence and up to $250,000 fine for the aggravated identity theft charge. In 1995 the school district bought the former Indian Hill Mall, a failing shopping center built in the 1960s, and redeveloped it into an educational, commercial and retail complex called The Village at Indian Hill.[1]. During his professional career, Tutt held various positions, including football coach at Marengo Academy in Linden. Limestone Co Indictment by WAFF 48 on Scribd. 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