More than 80 Dallas school employees investigated for misusing their district-issued credit cards have received some sort of discipline, ranging from termination to probation. The district named 93 individuals in May who faced disciplinary action or termination for violations involving their district credit cards. Eighty-six were disciplined.
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EARLIER: One of the biggest spenders in the Dallas Independent School District credit card scandal has been sentenced to one year in federal prison. Prosecutors asked for leniency because she had aided the FBI investigation. Gloria Orapello, a former secretary in the district's central office, pleaded guilty to felony theft for charging $100,000 in personal items on her district credit card. (Dallas Morning News)
A former Dallas school secretary has pleaded guilty to charging $100,000 in personal purchases to her school system credit card. The plea came a day after the Dallas school district released records documenting her purchases of clothing, jewelry, groceries and at least $10,500 in retail gift cards between August 2005 and May 2006. Gloria Orapello's plea made her the first district employee to publicly admit guilt in the ongoing probe of credit card misuse. (Dallas Morning News)
The Dallas school administrator who oversaw the district's disbanded credit card program says she's being made a scapegoat by higher-ups who need "to put somebody up to pay for all the misdeeds." The administrator, Sherri Brokaw, testified that she ran a good program, conducted herself with integrity and did everything asked of her during the six years she oversaw credit card spending. Her testimony came as part of a hearing to determine whether her contract should be terminated. (Dallas Morning News)
After community activists criticized a $1 million investigation into the misuse of Dallas school district credit cards for examining only the most egregious spenders, district officials say a newly created investigative department will take up the hunt for those who escaped scrutiny the first time around. The initial, independent investigation, conducted by a law firm, looked at the spending of about 200 employees. The new Office of Professional Responsibility will pick up where the independent investigation left off and look at many of the 1,200 other employees with credit cards. (Dallas Morning News)
