A former executive director of a publicly funded charter school in Tucson, Arizona, was indicted Thursday on charges that he participated in a scheme prosecutors say funneled school money to personal spending.
Ex-Academy Del Sol Director Accused of Misusing School Funds
Jason Riegert, a former head of Academy Del Sol, is facing 22 felony charges in Pima County Superior Court. The indictment also identifies his wife, Staci Barton, and former school office administrator Kimberly Richards as alleged participants in the scheme, reported AZ Central.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said a state grand jury indicted the three on July 27 following an investigation into financial activity at the school. The alleged crimes occurred between January 2018 and December 2024, spanning much of Riegert’s tenure as executive director.
Riegert is charged with theft, conspiracy, forgery, computer tampering, fraud, and misuse of charter school money. Prosecutors also allege he was involved in the illegal operation of an enterprise connected to the scheme.
Riegert and Barton spent at least $100,000 of school funds on personal expenses, the indictment says. Other reports referencing the court documents say the total amount could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Tucson School Officials Accused of Using Funds for Casino Spending
Casino spending is a key part of the allegations. Prosecutors also say school money was used to buy luxury goods and services, including jewelry, expensive meals, clothing, travel and cosmetic procedures.
The trips to Las Vegas, New York City and Hawaii were among the alleged personal spending. Investigators also tied school money to the purchase of a 2020 Cadillac Escalade and work performed at the home of Riegert and Barton.
Richards is accused of helping to hide some of the transactions in the school’s accounting books. Prosecutors say the expenses were listed as legitimate costs for services such as landscaping, cleaning, and technology but were actually for personal spending.
The indictment also alleges that Riegert and Richards used Platinum Educational Solutions, a company owned by Riegert, to charge the school for student support services which were not rendered.
Riegert and Richards are also accused of tampering with computer systems, investigators said. The charges allege that technology was used or modified in attempts to help facilitate the alleged financial misconduct.
Barton and Riegert are being held in the Pima County Adult Detention Complex on $250,000 bail each. As of September 8, Richards was not in custody in Pima County.
Academy Del Sol offers tuition-free education with two campuses in Tucson, Arizona. Combined, the two locations had nearly 700 students enrolled last year, according to Arizona Department of Education data.
