She also pled not guilty embezzlement, a misdemeanor. The theft charge is a felony.
The Rockville resident is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7. She could be sentenced to up to 20 years and a $25,000 fine.
Kelly, 41, has been on leave from her position as an Odessa Shannon Middle School team leader for alternative programs, following her indictment by a grand jury for allegedly embezzling $161,000 from a dance studio in Rockville...
Count 1 (Theft): 15 years incarceration with all but 5 years suspended.
Count 2 (Abuse of Position) 5 years of incarceration.
Notes from today's sentencing:
At today's sentencing the public learned that along with all of the other things that had been reported as to how Mr. Ewald used the funds he stole from MCPS he used the funds to purchase a vacation condo in North Carolina along with luxury vehicles.
As of today, Mr. Ewald has written a check to MCPS for $250,000 in restitution for some of the funds that were stolen.
The scheme went on for 5 years until a MCPS audit discovered credit card abuse and then the embezzlement.
The prosecutor said that Mr. Ewald received 35 checks over the years from the school bus vendor in the embezzlement scheme.
The prosecutor said that Mr. Ewald's SUPERVISOR (that would have been Todd Watkins) established the slush fund and Mr. Ewald took over the slush fund. Mr. Ewald didn't just use the slush fund to line his pockets, he used it to circumvent the rules.
The abuse of the MCPS credit cards was a whole separate scheme. Mr. Ewald had 110 transactions over the $500 per purchase limit.
Mr. Ewald charged $313,000 on the MCPS credit card which was nearly half of all the department charges.
MCPS General Counsel Stephanie Williams was in the courtroom. (Note: MCPS staff never show up for child abuse cases.)
The Judge made a statement and said that the actions of Mr. Ewald were an enormous breach of trust and impact the way people look at MCPS and our government. His actions lead to cynical talk about government and hurt our community.
...Watkins arranged an “off-the-books” system with the bus company, and the vendor kept a record of money owed to the school system. The company deducted those owed amounts from its payments from the school system; Watkins received about $13,000 from those payments. The former director provided documentation of those payments and is not charged with theft...
A pre-indictment plea is set for Friday at 11 a.m.
According to court records, his alleged offense dates back to 2016.
Former MCPS Assistant Director of Transportation Charles Ewald pleaded guilty May 18 to a theft scheme involving more than $100,000 and misconduct in office. He will be sentenced Sept. 6 in Montgomery County Circuit Court.
Ewald, along with Watkins, have been under investigation for using almost $600,000 of MCPS funds for their personal use...
Case Information |
| Court System: | Circuit Court For Montgomery County - Criminal |
| Location: | Montgomery Circuit Court |
| Case Number: | C-15-CR-23-000712 |
| Title: | State of Maryland vs. TODD MICHAEL WATKINS |
| Case Type: | Criminal - Information |
| Filing Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Case Status: | Open |
| Tracking Number(s): | 237015000622 |
Defendant Information |
| Name: | WATKINS, TODD MICHAEL |
| Race: | WhiteSex:MaleHeight:0'0"Weight:0 |
| HairColor: | EyeColor: |
| DOB: | 12/13/1966 |
| Address: | 3750 HORINE ROAD |
| City: | JEFFERSONState:MDZip Code:21755 |
Attorney(s) for the Defendant |
| Name: | MCGANN, TERRENCE MICHAEL |
| Appearance Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Address Line 1: | 51 Monroe Street |
| Address Line 2: | Suite 803 |
| City: | RockvilleState:MDZip Code:20850 |
Involved Parties Information |
| Name: | State of Maryland |
Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff |
| Name: | ROSLUND, BRYAN |
| Appearance Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Address Line 1: | Assistant Stae's Attorney For Montgomery County |
| Address Line 2: | 50 Maryland Avenue |
| City: | RockvilleState:MDZip Code:20850 |
| Name: | State's Attorney - Montgomery County |
| Appearance Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Address Line 1: | 50 Maryland Avenue |
| Address Line 2: | 5th Floor, North Tower |
| City: | ROCKVILLEState:MDZip Code:20850 |
Court Scheduling Information |
| Event Type | Event Date | Event Time | Judge | Court Location | Court Room | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearing - Pre-Indictment Plea | 06/30/2023 | 11:00:00 | McAuliffe, Michael | Chambers Calendar | Courtroom 9D - North Tower |
Charge and Disposition Information |
| Charge No: | 1CJIS Code:2-0645Statute Code:CL |
| Charge Description: | MISCONDUCT IN OFFICECharge Class:Misdemeanor |
| Probable Cause: |
| Offense Date From: | 07/01/2016To: |
| Agency Name: | Officer ID: |
Document Information |
| File Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Filed By: | |
| Document Name: | Criminal Information |
| File Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Filed By: | |
| Document Name: | Attorney Appearance for State |
| File Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Filed By: | |
| Document Name: | Plea/Sentence Agreement |
| File Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Filed By: | |
| Document Name: | Consent Order |
| File Date: | 06/23/2023 |
| Filed By: | |
| Document Name: | Summons Issued (Service Event) |
Service Information |
...Recently obtained documents allege Ewald charged more than $460,000 on his MCPS-issued credit card between 2016 and 2022.
Those purchases include gift cards, furniture and items that were allegedly shipped to his home --- not to MCPS.
Other records show Ewald appeared to have paid off a loan for a $64,000 Lincoln Navigator with off-the-books reimbursements...
Former MCPS transportation official pleads guilty to felony theft scheme | WJLA
The president of the Maryland PTA faces a criminal charge and is accused of stealing money from a Southeast Washington, D.C., military veteran to pay her own bills, including her cable and internet expenses.
Court filings reviewed by the News4 I-Team say LaTonja Carrera stole money from the account of the veteran at a mental health facility in D.C. in 2019, where the veteran lived and where Carrera served as an administrator.
An attorney for the Maryland PTA said Carrera has served as president of the state PTA for nearly a month and remains on the job pending the outcome of the criminal case...
...[MCPS]school officials opened bank accounts in students’ names and deposited and withdrew work-study wages without parents knowing that the accounts existed...
...Lyda Astrove, a lawyer who has been a vocal advocate for Rock Terrace families, said Wednesday that she would like to hear a detailed explanation from McCarthy about “what kind of activity it was” when educators took students’ Social Security numbers and opened up credit union accounts in their names. “That sounds like identity theft to me,” she said. “Their parents did not know of the existence of these accounts.”...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/prosecutors-find-no-criminal-activity-at-school-for-special-education-students/2015/05/06/20e5a2ee-f348-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html
