In its latest crackdown on school corruption in Detroit, the federal government today launched a legal bomb targeting 12 current and former Detroit Public School principals, one administrator and a vendor — all of them charged with running a nearly $1 million bribery and kickback scheme involving school supplies that were rarely ever delivered.
The accused vendor is at the heart of the alleged scheme: Norman Shy, owner of Allstate Sales — which sells school supplies and items including auditorium chairs and raised line paper. He is charged with paying $908,500 in kickbacks to at least 13 DPS principals who used him as a school supply vendor in exchange for money.
Federal prosecutors allege that Shy ran this scheme with the help of Clara Flowers, an assistant superintendent of DPS’s Office of Specialized Student services. She had the authority for selecting vendors and ordering supplemental resources such as maps and workbooks for various DPS schools. Flowers, who picked Shy for the job, is now facing bribery and conspiracy charges.
Also charged are:
- Ronald Alexander, current principal at Charles L. Spain Elementary, who is charged with bribery for allegedly pocketing $23,000 money from Shy in exchange for using him as a school supply vendor.
- Beverly Campbell, a former principal at both Rosa Parks School and Greenfield Union Elementary-Middle School, who is charged with bribery. She allegedly accepting $50,000 in cash kickbacks from Shy, who oftentimes never delivered the goods to the school, but got paid anyway with the help of phony invoices signed by Campbell, the government alleges.
- Gerlma Johnson, former principal at Earhart Elementary-Middle School, who is charged with bribery for allegedly accepting nearly $23,000 in cash kickbacks from Shy.
- James Hearn, principal at Marcus Gary Academy.
- Tonya Bowman, principal at Osborn Collegiate Academy of Math, Science and Technology.
- Josette Buendia, principal at Bennett Elementary
- James Hearn, principal at Marcus Garvey Academy
- Starley Johnson, principal at Hutchison Elementary
- Ronnie Sims, former principal at Fleming Elementary and Brenda Scott Middle School.
- Willye Pearsall, former principal at Thurgood Marshall.
- Tia’ Von Moore-Patton, principal of Jerry White Center High School
- Clara Smith, principal at Thirkell Elementary-Middle School
U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade will hold a news conference this afternoon to discuss this latest crackdown on school corruption.
The announcement comes nearly two months after former principal Kenyetta Wilbourn Snapp, who was hailed as a once-rising education star and turnaround specialist in Detroit Public Schools, pleaded guilty to bribery. Snapp admitted she pocketed a $58,050 bribe from a vendor and spent it on herself while working for the embattled Education Achievement Authority, a state-formed agency that was supposed to help Detroit's most troubled schools.
Snapp, who is set to be sentenced June 1, faces up to 46 months in prison for bribery. Another woman, Paulette Horton, an independent contractor who was involved in a deal to provide tutoring services at Denby and Kerby high schools, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit program bribery. The 60-year-old consultant admitted that she was the middleman who handed over bribes to Snapp.
Vendor, Glynis Thornton , also pleaded guilty in January, admitting she gave Snapp money in exchange for awarding her company the tutoring contract. In her guilty plea, Thornton explained how the scheme worked: Thornton would give an independent contractor the bribe money for Snapp, that contractor would meet Snapp at a bank, give her the money, and keep some for herself.