Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced today that felony charges had been filed against five individuals believed to have organized and participated in an illegal cheating scheme that could have resulted in as many as 400 teachers receiving unearned certification statewide.
"This was used to certify more than 200 unqualified teachers, all now practicing or having practiced in our Texas public schools" Ogg said at a news conference, "The cheating teachers included at least two sexual predators. One has been charged with indecency with a child, another with online solicitation."
The average cost for a teacher to receive the bogus certification was $2,500.
Mike Levine, a felony chief in the DA Office’s Public Corruption Division, estimated that the ring’s kingpin had grossed more than $1 million from the scheme.
Those charged are:
Vincent Grayson, 57, the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD. Grayson is charged as the organizer of the cheating scheme.
Tywana Gilford Mason, 51, the former director/VA certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center. Mason’s role as test proctor allowed her to keep the proxy scheme undetected.
Nicholas Newton, 35, an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD. Newton is alleged to have participated in the scheme as the proxy test-taker.
Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22, a proctor at TACTIX who is alleged to have taken bribes to allow Newton to act as a testing proxy.
LaShonda Roberts, 39, an assistant principal at Yates High School in Houston ISD. Roberts is charged with recruiting nearly 100 teachers to participate in the cheating scheme.
All five defendants are charged with two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity.
Later in the afternoon, HISD released a statement, via Chief of Public Affairs and Communications, Alexandra Elizondo.
HISD was made aware of the investigation into an alleged cheating conspiracy shortly before arrests were made. Any educator who engages in conduct of this nature abdicates their responsibility to our students and to our staff and represents a complete betrayal of the public trust. HISD will cooperate fully with the Texas Education Agency and state and local law enforcement as the investigation progresses. All three of these employees have been arrested and will be receiving notifications relieving them of their duties effective immediately.
Additionally, if it is determined that any teachers currently working in HISD participated in this scheme or passed their certification exams fraudulently, we will take swift action to terminate their employment with the District.