Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Tulsa County District Attorney Steven Kunzweiler announced criminal charges against three people involved in a scheme to defraud Tulsa Public Schools. The press conference was held on Thursday, June 4, at Tulsa County headquarters.
According to AG Drummond, three people allegedly embezzled nearly $780,000 in voter-approved Tulsa Public Schools capital improvement funds. Authorities said Charles Hudgins, executive director of the TPS Bond Department, teamed up with Gayle Gwinup and Thomas McKenna’s company, Allied Engineering Group, to do roofing projects for TPS schools, but the work was never done. According to reports, the projects were paid for, but the money was funneled into Hudgins’ own company M&G Consulting.
“Tulsa residents went to the polls and said ‘yes’ to better schools, ‘yes’ to improve facilities, all for their children. Hudgins and his co-defendants said ‘yes’ to lining their pockets instead,” Drummond said.
Kunzweiler said Governor Kevin Stitt asked for a forensic audit of Tulsa Public Schools, and the state auditor inspector’s office conducted the investigation.
“It’s never easy when you’re trying to dig down and figure out who could be doing things with taxpayer money in an inappropriate way and embezzling it,” Kunzweiler said.
Tulsa Public Schools shared the following statement:
“Tulsa Public Schools is grateful to the Attorney General and the District Attorney as they announce the next steps in the investigation to recover funds previously misappropriated from the district. The district is cooperating with all relevant law enforcement agencies and wholly supports their efforts to determine the extent of any past wrongdoing on the part of a former employee. Tulsa Public Schools is fully committed to providing any and all support to agencies pursuing justice in this matter. Our students and community deserve every dollar meant for them, and we vigorously support every effort to protect those resources.”
