Just another story about massive fraud in another blue state. Nothing to see here.
FOX News reports:
LA United School District scandal leads to charges as $22M scheme allegedly drained funds meant for studentsA former Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) IT employee and a tech company owner are facing felony charges in what prosecutors describe as one of the “largest” alleged money laundering schemes in the district’s history.Hong “Grace” Peng, a former LAUSD technical project manager, and Gautham Sampath, owner of the tech firm Innive, are accused of orchestrating a years-long “pay-to-play” scheme that allegedly steered more than $22 million in school district contracts to Sampath’s company.”This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.”This vendor, working with an LAUSD project manager, allegedly carried out a multi-year, multi-contract pay-to-play arrangement that siphoned millions of dollars from our schools.”According to prosecutors, Peng played a role in awarding contracts tied to LAUSD’s My Integrated Student Information System (MiSiS) between 2018 and 2022.Authorities allege those contracts — totaling $22 million — were largely directed to Innive.Investigators say Sampath then funneled more than $3 million back to Peng through intermediaries.Prosecutors say messages between the two show discussions about deleting chats, securing contracts and moving money.Peng, a Pasadena resident, was charged with felony counts of money laundering and illegally holding a financial interest in government contracts.Sampath, of Flower Mound, Texas, faces similar charges, along with an additional count of aiding and abetting a public official.An arrest warrant has been issued for Peng, while Sampath faces extradition to California. Court dates have not yet been set.
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