The Oklahoma attorney general is taking on the prosecution of EPIC Charter Schools founders and the former CFO.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond notified Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna that his office will take on the responsibility of prosecuting Ben Harris, David Chaney and Josh Brock.
[ Epic Charter Schools and leaders respond to founders arrests ]
“As you and I have discussed and as I have said publicly, I believe the Office of Attorney General should be responsible for the prosecution of this matter,” Drummond wrote Tuesday in a letter to Behenna. “These allegations involve tens of millions of Oklahoma tax dollars intended for public education, and the State has a strong interest in ensuring proper accountability. Given the statewide impact of this case on public education funding, I believe it is wholly appropriate that fall under the purview of the Office of Attorney General.”
Harris, Chaney and Brock were charged with racketeering, embezzlement, obtaining money by false pretense and other allegations by then-Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater last June, after a multiyear investigation.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) agents began their investigation in 2013, requested by former Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin. The investigation was sparked after Fallin received a complaint from the State Department of Education involving dual enrollment.
Investigators with OSBI said the men used Oklahoma tax dollars in California, submitted false invoices and illegally misused employees. Overall, the scheme cost Oklahomans $22 million.