Clara Flowers, an assistant superintendent with Detroit Public Schools, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Detroit on Tuesday to accepting $324,685 in kickbacks from a vendor, the Detroit Free Press reports.
Tresa Baldas reports that Flowers, 61, essentially admitted cheating kids with disabilities out of school supplies by helping a crooked vendor, Norman Shy of Franklin, bill the district for supplies he never delivered. Her plea agreement calls for a sentence 57-71 months in prison along with $324,785 in restitution to DPS, and $27,488 more to the IRS for unpaid taxes.
Flowers, the assistant superintendent of Detroit Public School's Office of Specialized Student Services, offered no explanation, the Freep reported, only saying in a shaky voice: "I received kickbacks from Norman Shy."
Former Hutchinson Elementary School principal Tanya Bowman, 48, also pleaded guilty in court on Tuesday to taking $12,500 in kickbacks in exchange for helping Shy submit fraudulent invoices for school supplies, the Freep reports.
Her plea calls for a prison sentence of 18 and 24 months in prison, plus restitution of $12,500.
In all, 14 people have been charged in the kickback scheme including the vendor, Shy.
