Former River Rouge School Official Convicted of Bribery
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 16, 2012 |
A former River Rouge School District official was found guilty today of bribery and mail fraud by a federal jury in Detroit, United States Attorney Barbara McQuade announced today.
Dolores Reid, 53, of Southfield, the school district’s former director of state and federal programs, was convicted following a two-day trial before United States District Judge Bernard A. Friedman.
The evidence presented at trial showed that in 2010 and 2011, Ms. Reid accepted thousands of dollars in cash for giving preferential treatment to a company that provided tutoring services to the River Rouge School District, under the Supplementary Educational Services provision of the No Child Left Behind Act. This company received federal funds through the Michigan Department of Education, which subsequently recaptured the funds, leaving the River Rouge School District with a loss of approximately $160,000.
The evidence further showed that Ms. Reid promoted the company’s tutoring by falsely informing parents of students entering River Rouge High School that the program was mandatory.
Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Foley, III stated, “Public officials who abuse their power and accept bribes will face severe consequences for their crimes. The FBI-led Detroit-Area Public Corruption Task Force is committed to ensuring citizens have honest government.”
“Corruption by public officials is never acceptable, but it is particularly egregious when an official steals money intended for the education of school children,” McQuade said. “Stealing education funds robs children of their future.”
Sentencing of Ms. Reid is scheduled for March 19, 2013. The bribery charge has a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The mail fraud charge has a statutory a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Both charges are felonies.
The case was investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Education-Office of Inspector General, and the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.