08/26/2020
State Auditor Nicole Galloway issued a statement after Michael Malone, the former executive director of the now-closed St. Louis College Prep, pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud. A 2019 audit from Auditor Galloway's office found falsified attendance records at the charter school led to $1.4 million in overpayments to the school. Auditor Galloway worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI on the criminal investigation that resulted in the plea, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
"It's unacceptable when taxpayers are defrauded, but when corruption affects our classrooms, it's intolerable. My audit found Malone's actions to manipulate attendance records resulted in millions of dollars in overpayments. My office worked closely with the FBI to provide information to assist in prosecuting this case, and I commend our law enforcement partners for obtaining this guilty plea."