Law & Courts

FBI Ends Corruption Probe That Plagued Dallas District

By Tom Kim — December 12, 2001 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The FBI has ended its 4½-year investigation of alleged fraud and corruption in the Dallas school district, a move that district leaders say lifts a cloud of suspicion as they attempt to gain voter approval for a hefty bond proposal.

In a letter sent to Superintendent of Schools Mike Moses last month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation officially said its probe of the 164,000- student district, which began in April 1997, had concluded. The inquiry resulted in about 15 convictions, including that of a former superintendent.

“There comes a time when you got to let them move on. Their job is to teach our children, not answer questions of criminality. It’s as simple as that,” Danny Defenbaugh, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office and the letter’s author, said last week.

The letter comes as the nation’s 10th-largest school district is pushing for passage of a $1.37 billion bond proposal, the largest in the district’s history. The bulk of that money would go for new school construction and renovation of existing facilities. Voters will decide the issue next month.

District officials had flirted with the idea of a $1.26 billion bond package in 1998, but board members decided to hold off for fear that public confidence in the school system had been too severely eroded by the ongoing corruption investigation.

Persistence Pays Off

The FBI launched its investigation at the request of then-Superintendent Yvonne Gonzalez, who contended that corruption was rampant and that district employees had illegally reaped millions of dollars in fraudulent overtime.

In a strange turn of events, Ms. Gonzalez herself soon became a target of the probe she had called for. In October 1997, she admitted to having spent $9,440 in district money to buy bedroom furniture for herself. She was subsequently forced from her position.

The following February, a federal judge sentenced Ms. Gonzalez to 15 months in prison. Others netted in the probe included a roofing contractor convicted of swindling the district out of more than $380,000 and about a dozen custodial workers convicted of overtime fraud.

Mr. Defenbaugh said he sent the Nov. 19 letter stating the probe had ended in response to a request by the current superintendent, Mr. Moses, a former Texas state commissioner of education. During a meeting with the FBI agent in September, the superintendent asked for a formal announcement to be made on the status of the investigation.

After consulting with the local federal prosecutor, Mr. Defenbaugh agreed to send the letter, even though the bureau normally does not announce the end of an investigation.

“Even though it is not normal policy, in this case, after talking with the U.S. attorney, we both agreed it would be in the best interest [of the school district] because of the extreme media attention received in these cases,” Mr. Defenbaugh said.

Mr. Defenbaugh said he also was swayed by Mr. Moses’ persistence.

“He said I was the first person he met upon coming to Dallas as a superintendent” in January 2001, Mr. Defenbaugh said. “Normally, a federal law-enforcement official wouldn’t be the first person a superintendent meets.”

A version of this article appeared in the December 12, 2001 edition of Education Week as FBI Ends Corruption Probe That Plagued Dallas District

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Improving Outcomes on State Assessments with Data-Driven Strategies
State testing is around the corner! Join us as we discuss how teachers can use formative data to drive improved outcomes on state assessments.
Content provided by Instructure
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Law & Courts After 50 Years, a U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Educational Equity Is Still Debated
In a school finance case from Texas, the justices held that the wealth of districts was not subject to extra constitutional scrutiny.
12 min read
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen at near sunset in Washington, on Oct. 18, 2018.
The U.S. Supreme Court is seen at near sunset in Washington, on Oct. 18, 2018.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo
Law & Courts Florida Law Requiring Gun Buyers to Be 21 Is Upheld
A federal appeals court said the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act is consistent with the Second Amendment.
4 min read
Audriana Lima, 14, a current freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, visits a display of portraits of the 17 students and staff who were killed in a school shooting five years earlier, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Fla. Family members, neighbors, and well-wishers turned out to multiple events Tuesday to honor the lives of those killed on Valentine's Day 2018.
Audriana Lima, 14, a current freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, visits a display of portraits of the 17 students and staff who were killed in a school shooting five years earlier, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at Pine Trails Park in Parkland, Fla.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Law & Courts Opinion A Student Journalist's Plea: Stop Censoring Us (and Our Advisers)
High school newspaper staff deserve the same rights as professionals: to uncover wrongdoings and inform the public.
Serena Liu
4 min read
Image of a speech bubble behind yellow tape, a censorship concept
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Law & Courts Oxford Schools and Staff Have Immunity in Shooting Lawsuits, Judge Rules
A judge ruled that staff at Oxford High School cannot be sued for a shooting that killed four students and wounded seven others.
3 min read
A well wisher kneels to pray at a memorial on the sign of Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich., Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. A 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at the school, killing several students and wounding multiple other people, including a teacher.
A well wisher kneels to pray at a memorial on the sign of Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich.
Paul Sancya/AP