Another former Montgomery Public School administrator has been convicted in relation to the misuse of school funds, according to federal court documents.
Walter James, who previously served as the assistant principal at Jefferson Davis High, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in federal court. He was accused of paying more than $300,000 to fictitious vendors about two years ago, according to a February financial audit of the district. The purchases were described as for professional development, supplies and coaching training, but the checks for all were deposited into James' bank account.
The payments included about $40,000 directly from the school, and then nearly $300,000 from the central office, "with no benefit to the Board and/or the local schools," the audit states.
At the time of the audit's release, James was no longer employed by the district and was working as an attorney in Montgomery.
According to the plea agreement, James faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, supervised release up to three years, and an order of restitution. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Five other MPS employees were identified as misusing funds in the February audit, adding up to over $700,000 between October 2017 through September 2018.
James is the third of those to be convicted, in addition to another MPS employee found to have also misused funds.
More: Strip clubs, liquor, online gaming, undeserved scholarships: MPS audit shows admins misused $700K
"I am pleased that our financial reforms have brought another individual who stole from our students to justice,” said Superintendent Ann Roy Moore in a release. "One of the first directives I was given when hired as superintendent was to clean up the system's finances. These reforms are what led to the discovery that Mr. James and others had abused the trust students and their families have given him. It is unacceptable for any teacher, coach or administrator to use school funds for personal gain. We will continue to scrutinize every penny to make sure every dollar spent is put to its best use. All persons responsible for stealing school funds will be held accountable for their actions."
In July, former MPACT career tech director Marsha Baugh pleaded guilty to using her position for personal gain by ensuring that her two children received scholarship money they didn't qualify for.
In her plea agreement, she agreed to pay back over $177,235 to MPS. She was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and serve 30 days in jail.
Michael Walker, a former Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps instructor at Carver High, pleaded guilty ahead of the audit's release to stealing more than $5,000 worth of funds raised for the JROTC program.
He was among the few in the audit to attend his hearing with the chief examiner and showed just cause for a portion of the missing funds attributed to him.
More: MPS responds to criticism after audit, explains what will prevent theft occurring again
Walker was found to have used a booster account debit card to make personal purchases between October 2016 and December 2018, according to a statement released by the Alabama Attorney General's Office.
Court records reveal Walker opened a bank account without the permission or knowledge of Montgomery Public Schools officials to deposit money raised by fundraising and JROTC boosters. He transferred nearly $2,000 to his personal bank accounts in addition to making purchases and withdrawing ATM funds on a debit card.
Charges against two former employees have yet to be announced.
James Jackson, who served as Carver's coach for 18 years, allegedly misused $76,975 in school funds.
"Items were purchased from wine/liquor stores, restaurants, car rental establishments, local probate office, a pet store, a car wash, an eye glass store and a final withdrawal to close the bank accounts that was not submitted to the school," the audit states.
Jackson had left the district prior to the release of the audit, to pursue collegiate level coaching positions, he said at the time.
Jackson was contacted by the Montgomery Advertiser in February about the audit's findings. He said has been advised by his lawyer not to comment until the case against him in settled.
The other employee — former Brewtech Athletic Director Chauncey Shines — went before the Ethics Commission in October, but no ruling has been announced.
According to the audit, Shines was ordered by the chief examiner to repay $45,908.72.
The audit shows Shines purchases with school funds included payments to a strip club; purchases at a local bar; payments for online gaming and video sites; purchases at grocery stores, restaurants and gas stations; payments to a credit card company; purchases at a pharmacy; payments to family members and payments to a collection agency.
The sixth employee, who misused funds but not for personal gain, has repaid the money and did not face criminal charges.
Aside from the February audit, a previous audit focused on Goodwyn Middle School led to the conviction of Tiffany Franklin, the school's former bookkeeper.
More: Ex-Goodwyn bookkeeper faces sentencing after pleading guilty to stealing school money
She pleaded guilty to the theft of $13,216 in school funds.
Each of these instances have been identified since the hire of Arthur Watts, the district's Chief School Financial Officer — a position that went unfilled for years.
Bringing the misuse to light, he said, proves to the public that there are now procedures and policies in place to ensure wrongs will be caught .
Additionally, he pointed to new protocols that will prevent the wrongs from even happening in the first place.
The district has begun requiring all school bookkeepers to obtain the local school financial management certification through the Alabama Association of School Business Officials.
This past summer, bookkeepers and administrators were trained together to ensure there wasn't a disconnect between the two on what was expected. Additionally, Watts and his team began meeting with all high school and middle school staff to discuss financial policies and procedures.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.
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