Former School Adminstrator Used Over $230,000 Of District’s Money For Personal Shopping
On Wednesday, Karen James, a 48-year-old ex-school district administrator, pleaded guilty to mail fraud. James used the district’s money, over $230,000, for personal shopping online, the US Attorney’s Office has stated.
From 2010-2019, James was the director of early childhood education and elementary literacy for schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was provided with two credit cards to buy items for the childhood education program. The cards were available because of state and federal grants.
James signed many papers agreeing to use the cards for their intended purposes. However, it was discovered that she bought herself $4,000 worth of bath rugs, a recliner, and other items from Wayfair.
She also spent $199,200 on 2,500 items from Amazon, including makeup, things for knitting, pet items, and gift cards. Additionally, she purchased over $27,000 on 83 paypal transactions that weren’t approved.
In 2018, the district was alerted after they discovered James had turned in invalid receipts and suspicious transaction logs. James tried to alter the receipts, but the district was able to gather the original receipts from the vendors. James’ scheme was then exposed.
James was fired at first, but a decision made at the time of her appeal, allowed her to resign in 2019. In 2020, she forfeited her teaching license.
As a part of her plea deal, she must pay the district back. James will be sentenced at a later time.
