Charter-school network run by Australian and Long Beach man accused of stealing $50M from Calfornia
SAN DIEGO — A network of charter schools in California stole more than $50 million from the state by creating phantom institutions that enrolled unwitting students it found through other schools and youth programs, prosecutors said Wednesday.
A3 Education recruited small public school districts to sponsor the charter schools in exchange for oversight fees. Prosecutors say A3 enrolled about 40,000 students throughout the state, none of whom received any services. Prosecutors identified Sean McManus, 46, and Jason Schrock, 44, of Long Beach, as the ringleaders.
They didn’t immediately return phone messages seeking comment. McManus is believed to be in Australia.
The company that operated a network of 19 online-only schools is accused of paying sports leagues as little as $25 a student for information used for enrollment. School districts are funded by the state based on the number of students.
Read more: https://www.ocregister.com/2019/05/29/charter-school-network-run-by-australian-and-long-beach-man-accused-of-stealing-50-million-from-california/
