Corkren faced an additional two-year sentence and up to $250,000 fine for the aggravated identity theft charge. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Because of state laws, Athens Schools officials have been unable to terminate Rick Carter, who was convicted in March of seven felonies. Now, after months of a federal investigation, the Athens City School Board of Education unanimously approved a $250,000 separation agreement with Holladay. In the court records, federal officials also said they will drop charges against Holladays wife, Deborah Holladay, who initially was charged with six counts of wire fraud. Scroll to continue reading. 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. Carter will be sentenced in August. Gregory Corkren was a resident of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and was a retired public educator. 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. According to a plea agreement finalized Thursday, Trey Holladay admitted that he, along with Thomas Michael Sisk, former superintendent of the Limestone County Schools system, conspired to tell the state false numbers of students in their school systems so that they could pocket additional state money. 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 . 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. 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. Corkren also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. 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. Assistant Superintendent at Iredell-Statesville Schools Statesville, NC. Athens City School Superintendent Trey Holladay was placed on administrative leave after federal agents raided his home in June, 2020. City of Pasadena Celebrates AAPI Heritage Month. 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. The Plaintiffs, in this case, are students who prosecutors say had their identities stolen. In doing so, they stole children and parents identities and bribed administrators of private schools. Because the jury found the state proved certain aggravating circumstances, Dismukes could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years. The defendants offered the private schools various inducementsincluding computers, direct payments, and access to online curriculumto persuade them to share their students academic records and personal identifying information with the public school districts. Trey and Deborah Holladay released the following statement following the indictments release: We are a family of teachers and coaches. Codefendants Gregory Earl Corkren, David Webb Tutt and Sisk previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. 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. Example video title will go here for this video. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, as well as substantial monetary penalties and restitution. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Athens, Alabama. Holladay was on leave from June 2020 until his last day with the district on Oct. 31, 2020. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme. Published on May 25, 2021 at 2:25 pm CDT. 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 Los Angeles teachers union's last strike was in 2019. Two more of his co-conspirators will join him for at least a portion of that time. Show All Show Calendar. None of the other individuals charged in the indictment remain affiliated with Athens City Schools in any manner. 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Subscribe to EDU for a bi-weekly digest of articles.Privacy Policy, Scholastics blog abouteducation and learning. Holladay now faces a maximum five-year prison sentence and has agreed to potential monetary penalties imposed by a judge, according to court records. He left Limestone County Schools to become the director of Bristol, TN schools. The Athens City Schools Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday at 7:30 a.m. A fourth defendant, former Limestone County superintendent Tom Sisk, was sentenced on Wednesday to 18 months in federal prison. The indictment states the purpose of the conspiracy was to obtain greater state funding allocations through the Foundation Program than they would otherwise have been entitled to Athens City Schools 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. Tom Sisk, who pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme, will serve 18 months in federal prison. The various defendants then received, for theirown personal use, portions of the state money. Date: 8/14/2023. 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. Corkren and Tutt each faced a sentence of up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. They stole from the children of Alabama, he said. In fact, as mentioned during the Justice Departments press conference, the indictment does not include any current Limestone County School employees. Carter faces up to 20 years in prison in addition to fines and restitution. This page is not available in other languages. He is one of six state educators accused of enrolling those private school students into their virtual classes to get their tax dollars. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. If you want to plan the perfect spring picnic, food and drink are important, but its certainly not the only factor to consider. 'Trey' Holladay, Ed.D. is a thirty-one-year veteran public school educator with twenty-seven years in educational leadership. The defendants in this case prioritized their own profits over the education needs of our students. In fact, as mentioned during the Justice Departments press conference, the indictment does not include any current Limestone County School employees. All rights reserved (About Us). We will continue to cooperate with Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart and her team until the matter is completely adjudicated and settled.. Trey received a master's degree degree from West Alabama . Public Invited to 'Spring Into Wellness' Community Health Festival. You can email him at [emailprotected] or reach him via Twitter. 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The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. During his professional career, Tutt held various positions, including football coach at Marengo Academy in Linden. 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. While the school system was mentioned in the indictment brought in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, the indictment does not name the Limestone County Board of Education or anyone currently involved with Limestone County Schools as defendants. First Day of School 2023-2024. A former correctional lieutenant was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday with counts of use of excessive force and obstruction. The public schools in those counties are made up almost entirely of Black students. The defendants skimmed the state money through direct cash payments and payments to third-party contractors owned by the various co-conspirators. Alabama department of education wanted defendants to repay $5.7 million, found guilty of conspiracy, four counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft in March, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. He faces a maximum prison sentence of five years along with substantial monetary penalties. RELATED: Athens City Schools approves separation agreement with former superintendent, $250,000 payment. 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. Its just wrong, Opinion | Sen. Jay Hovey may have meant well, but he was wrong. Eddie Burkhalter is a reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter. A few years ago, some of the same people excusing Trump's recent indictment were celebrating Gov. A sentencing date has not been set for Holladay. Funds allocated for education should be spent to educate our public school students. As a result of this, districts received payments from Alabamas Education Trust Fund as if the students actually attended public schools. This was accomplished by enrolling full time in-person students into their respective virtual schools. Co-defendants Corkren, Tutt, and Sisk previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government. The Athens City Board of Education voted 5-2 Wednesday to hire William "Trey" Holladay as superintendent contingent on contract approval. Carter's co-conspirators include former superintendent of the Athens City Schools district Dr. William L. ("Trey") Holladay, III; David Webb Tutt, of Uniontown, Alabama; Gregory ("Greg") Earl Corkren, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and former superintendent of the Limestone County School district Thomas Michael Sisk. School officials have not discussed this matter at the request of federal officials, and will continue to refrain from discussing it. 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. We appreciate so much the overwhelming support from our friends and community. However, over the course of several years, the individuals named in the indictment betrayed the trust of not only our citizens but our students, parents, and other teachers and administrators who continue to work diligently every day. 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. Trey Holladay. LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. - Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay officially pleaded guilty in a multi-million dollar virtual academy fraud scheme on Thursday. Hollaway was ordered to pay $2.9 million. Details on the plea agreement were released by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Montgomery on Thursday. 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. SCHOOL BOARD . The FBI started investigating Holladays home in June 2020. 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. ATHENS, Ala. (WAFF) - Former Athens superintendent, William Lee "Trey" Holladay has entered a guilty plea for a conspiracy charge. Former Athens City Schools Superintendent Trey Holladay will be sentenced July 21, along with Gregory Earl Corkren and David Webb Tutt. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Corkren also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The state department told federal officials it had recouped funding from Limestone and Conecuh counties, but did not state the amounts. Former teacher Greg Corkren and former Marengo High football coach Webb Tutt will serve 22 and 24 months, respectively, in federal prison. Sentencing is expected next year. enewscourier.com . Courtesy photos This funding was used in part to fund. 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. 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. Trey Holladay is a Principal at Oxford City Schools based in Oxford, Alabama. All three must report to the Bureau of Prisons by 2 p.m. on Sept. 1. We appreciate so much the overwhelming support from our friends and community. 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The systems received state funds for those students. Deborah Holladay is the wife of Trey Holladay and was a teacher employed by the Athens City School District at the times investigated. The federal investigation has been ongoing since that time. . William Lee Trey Holladay, III formally separated from Athens City Schools in October 2020. Superintendent Trey Holladay is shown in a photo on the Athens City Schools website. 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William Richard Carter, Jr. is currently set for trial on February 7, 2022. After a full review of the situation and the uncertainties of the circumstances, the board of education believes it is both timely and appropriate to make a change in leadership as it is in the best interest of Athens City Schools. 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. The first of the Measure PS projects were completed in summer 2009.