Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced that a former Tucson charter school director and others were indicted for allegedly stealing education dollars to pay for jewelry, trips to casinos and other extravagances.
Mayes secured indictments of former Academy Del Sol Executive Director Jason Riegert, his wife, Staci Barton, and office manager Kimberly Richards at the end of July, according to court documents released today.
Academy Del Sol operates two K-8 charter schools in Tucson.
According to an indictment, they are accused of misusing more than $100,000 belonging to the school between 2021 and 2024, including more than $25,000 in public education funds from the state.
The indictment accuses them of funneling money to a shell company owned by Riergert called Platinum Educational Solutions, claiming the business was providing student support services.
They allegedly used some of the money to pay for personal home repairs by claiming the contractor was performing work at Academy Del Sol campuses.
The indictment also alleges the money was used to pay for a range of other personal expenses, including restaurants, plastic surgery, a Cadillac Escalade and trips to New York and Las Vegas.
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