Charter school Executive Director pleads guilty to stealing $1.4 million, bankrupting school

[Hannah Bell]

Ex-Mpls. Charter School Dir. Pleads Guilty To Stealing $1.4 Million


Joel Pourier, the former Executive Director of the Heart of the Earth charter school in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing more than $1 million dollars from the Native American school from 2004-2008, forcing the cash-strapped school to shut down.

Pourier agreed to the guilty pleas on eight felony counts of Theft by Swindle ahead of a trial that was scheduled to begin next Monday in Hennepin County. Pourier did not accept a plea deal and no charges were dropped as result of his admission...

Pourier, 40, of Shakopee, admitted he transfered money 124 times from school accounts to his personal bank account for personal use. Pourier would sign school checks without the required second signature from a school administrator or board member and claimed the money was to be used for expenses that didn't exist. For example, one check was issued supposedly to reimburse Pourier for expenses releated to a school prom. The school never had a prom.

http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S1641373.shtml?cat=10728

wow, that's some solid financial oversight, there. a check for prom expenses for non-existent proms & no one noticed?

[Hydra]

1. Privatization at its best

Remember, private companies can fleece the public more efficiently, therefore we must have them do it!

[nightrain]

3. yep!

[AllyCat]

2. Shades of things to come with Duncan at the helm of DOE

And then when the schools fail, the...TAXPAYERS...you guessed it!...will step in and save it for a much higher rate than if we had just done it ourselves from the start.

[formercia]

4. Control Fraud.

I wonder if he's Republican or Libertarian.

[Uben]

5. New rule for embezzlers......

.....one year for every ten thousand dollars you steal! No exceptions! That would seriously slow down these crimes, I think. That's basically life in prison for anything over a million dollars. I hate criminals! You play, you pay!

[Catshrink]

6. Who said charter schools were not-for-profit?

The difference is this guy got caught because he didn't know how to cover his tracks. The big guns are well versed in this -- the real estate scam, the management fees, etc.

[AllyCat]

7. Many here on DU say "Most charter schools are non-profit/public!"

They shout it every time this discussion comes up.

I don't agree with them at all, but that's what they say. I don't KNOW that for a fact, but seeing how American business is encouraged to run in this country, this is EXACTLY where charter/corporate schools will run. They only want in on the racket because there is money to be made bilking taxpayers out of their money. These people want to make money, not teach kids. The kids are just the front.

I know you know this, but I get so angry about this!

[Catshrink]

8. I get angry too...

I have to avoid certain threads and/or certain posters over this issue. I'm afraid I'd get a pizza delivery.

[AllyCat]

9. And I'm not a teacher, just a parent of kids who are almost school age

and a union member. The whole thing makes me nuts. We are probably going to home school because of this. Our district has not yet "sold out" to a charter nightmare, but a recent survey sent to our homes had numerous choices that included just such a proposal, cleverly worded to get people to think it was the better option compared to cutting services, and paying teachers.

[AnneD]

12. My daughter went to public school....

and received a better education than she could ever have gotten in a private school ( I know, I checked both). But if I had to put her in a charter school-I would have home schooled her. All those around here are rip offs with no over sight. They don't have the same standards that public schools have to meet and are not impressive.

It is all drill and kill cookie cutter education now. They seem to have forgotten how to teach kids how to think and reason. Kids do poorly on test now because they are bored. All the teachers teach to the test for fear of losing their jobs and per political pressure. With all this 'improvement', things are worse.

I have come to the belief that our corporate overlords don't want an educated population-just a mindless consuming one, 1984 is finally here.

[Hannah Bell]

10. yes, the access to public money is one big part of the prize currently.

taxpayer money/government contracts is a time-honored way for insiders to get rich.

[southerncrone]

11. Privatization of virtually everything that is funded w/taxpayer money

opens the door to unaccountability (one more level removed from those who are supposed to oversee what the funds are used for) & leaves loads of cash ripe-for-the-picking by the RW, neocon thieves who are pushing for it so they can line their own pockets. By the time the crime is discovered, the $ is gone (invested overseas?) & they do little, if any, time IF they are caught & prosecuted--another high cost to the taxpayer.

Amurika must be the dumbest country on the planet to not see this con-game in action. :eyes: