Detroit Principals Busted In Bribery Scheme


Several Detroit principals and other officials are accused of bribery, in a scandal that has shocked the community.

Detroit Public Schools is currently embroiled in a financial crisis, which is unlikely to end anytime soon. Amid the ongoing problems, 14 officials, who are retired or currently working in the Detroit Public Schools system, were indicted in a scheme involving over $900,000 in bribes and kickbacks.

As reported by NBC News, the disturbing announcement was made by federal prosecutors on Tuesday. U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade noted, “The real victims in a case like this are the students and the families … the teachers and the educators who want to make a difference. A case like this is a real punch in the gut.”

According to reports, the investigation into the Detroit principals and the bribery scheme began in 2014, after a routine audit showed some financial anomalies.

The devious plot included 14 Detroit principals and other officials, who are accused of bribery and submitting bogus invoices for payments to major school supplies vendor Allstate Sales, for teaching material, auditorium chairs, and paper.

The investigators determined a majority of the items were never received and the principals received kickback payments for falsifying the documents. McQuade has said the scheme totaled more than $908,518 for more than $2.7 million spent.

Allstate Sales owner Norman Shy, and Clara Flowers, an assistant superintendent and Detroit principal, played key roles in the bribery plot between February 2009 and January 2015.

Authorities said Shy had full liberty to select vendors and order supplies for numerous schools in the Detroit Public Schools system. He allegedly went as far as to keep a ledger to follow how much money was owed to Flowers in kickbacks.

Officials said a portion of the kickbacks were cloaked in checks made payable to Shy’s personal businesses. The money was also used to purchase gift cards.

As reported by The Detroit News, a total of 14 Detroit principals and other officials were criminally charged with bribery and other related crimes on Tuesday. In addition to Flowers and Shy, those charged include:

  • Tanya Bowman, former principal of Osborn Collegiate Academy.
  • Nina Graves-Hicks, former principal of Davis Aerospace Tech High.
  • Josette Buendia, principal of Bennett Elementary.
  • James Hearn, 50, of West Bloomfield, principal of Marcus Garvey Academy.
  • Beverly Campbell, former principal at Rosa Parks School and Greenfield Union Elementary-Middle School.
  • Gerlma Johnson, former principal at Drew Academy and Earhart Elementary-Middle School.
  • Stanley Johnson, principal of Hutchinson Elementary.
  • Tia’Von Moore-Patton, principal at Jerry L. White Center High school.
  • Willye Pearsall, former principal at Thurgood Marshall Elementary school.
  • Ronnie Sims, former principal of Fleming Elementary and Brenda Scott Middle School.
  • Clara Smith, principal at Thirkell Elementary.

The criminally charged Detroit Public Schools officials also include Ronald Alexander, who reportedly received over $23,000 in kickbacks. As reported by Click on Detroit, Alexander was thrust into the public spotlight when he appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February.

The teacher had said his school, Detroit’s Spain Elementary-Middle School, was in dire straits, as they could not afford books or provide heating during the cold season. DeGeneres shocked him with over $500,000 in donations from Lowe’s Home Improvement and a Justin Bieber pledge of $1 for every ticket sold for his Michigan concert.

Detroit principals and teachers have consistently complained about terrible working conditions, overcrowding, and poor maintenance of educational facilities, a reflection of everything else wrong with Detroit where state budgets do little to improve living standards.

Protest sick-outs have become a normal occurrence. Ivy Bailey, interim president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said it was sad to see the lack of respect being meted out to teachers. “We are fed up, our students deserve better,” he said.

“Detroit’s schools are in a crisis and the time to act is now,” Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said earlier this year. The governor told lawmakers “Detroit [is] in need of transformational change and that not all students [are] getting the education they deserve.”

According to reports, Detroit Public Schools needs $515 million by April or they will totally shut down. Snyder’s $48.7 million in emergency funding has done little to fix the situation and help the school’s biggest district stay in session until the end of the school term.

Unfortunately, the Detroit principal bribery scandal is putting even more strain on the Detroit Public Schools system.

U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade issued a stern warning to people trying to leverage on the trust of an unsuspecting public for personal gain. “It may seem easy to take a bribe, but it’s also easy to get caught and we will hold you and make you accountable.”

Each of the 14 Detroit principals and other officials involved in the bribery scandal is facing up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.

[Image via Roxanna Gonzalez/Shutterstock]

Share this article: Detroit Principals Busted In Bribery Scheme
More from Inquisitr