6 Alabamans Charged in $7m Virtual Schools Fraud

Six school officials in Alabama have been indicted over a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in state education funding by pretending to enroll private students into virtual schools.

Federal prosecutors say educators in Athens City Schools and Limestone County Schools stole the identities of hundreds of private students and falsified enrollment records to make it appear as though the children were full-time attendees of virtual schools throughout the state. 

By allegedly doctoring the records, the conspirators were able to obtain $7 million in state education funding for the 2016–17 and 2017–18 academic years. Private schools persuaded to take part in the conspiracy by sharing their students' data were rewarded with laptops and access to online courses. 

An 80-page indictment unsealed on February 23 names 55-year-old Toney resident Thomas Michael Sisk, who was formerly the superintendent of the Limestone County School District; 56-year-old Gregory Earl Corkren of Tuscaloosa; 61-year-old David Webb Tutt of Uniontown, 57-year-old Athens resident and former Athens City School District employee Deborah Irby Holladay; her husband, Athens resident and former superintendent of the Athens City School District, 56-year-old William Holladay III; and former Athens district director of innovative programs and current executive director of planning for Athens City Schools, 45-year-old Athens resident William Richard Carter Jr. as defendants. 

To conceal the fraud, the defendants allegedly created fake report cards and submitted falsified course-completion reports to the state department of education. 

Federal officials said the investigation into the conspiracy began two ..

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