BEAUMONT, TX—Three former Beaumont Independent School District employees have pleaded guilty to federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Daryl Glenn Johnson, 44, of Beaumont, pleaded guilty to conspiracy today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin. Erin Gipson Johnson, 38, of Beaumont, and Kailyn DeShondra Pete, 25, of Beaumont, each pleaded guilty to fraud upon programs receiving federal funds today before Judge Giblin.

According to the indictment, from July 2009 through June, 2012, Daryl Johnson, who was employed as the warehouse supervisor for the school district, first his wife, Erin Johnson, and then a friend, Kailyn Pete, placed on the BISD payroll as temporary employees. However, neither Erin Johnson nor Kailyn Pete ever actually worked as a BISD warehouse employee. Daryl Johnson had the autonomy to hire temporary warehouse employees on his own, and the authority to determine how many hours they would be paid, and could do so unilaterally and without the authorization or direct knowledge of anyone else. Daryl Johnson used this authority to fraudulently verify that both Erin Johnson and Kailyn Pete worked the hours indicated on their respective timesheets, which included extensive amounts of overtime when he knew that they in fact had not worked any of the hours. From July 2009 through May 2011, Erin Johnson was paid $193,998.37. During the timeframe of June 2010 through May 2012, Kailyn Pete was paid $90,041.05. The defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 6, 2014.

The defendants each face up to five years in federal prison at sentencing. Sentencing dates have not been set.

This case is being investigated by the joint Task Force with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, the Beaumont Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joe Batte and Christopher T. Tortorice.