A former District elementary school principal who went on trial Wednesday is charged with seeking to defraud the D.C. Public Schools system out of thousands of dollars.
George Smitherman, who was the principal of Moten Elementary School in Southeast until late 2002, is charged with involvement in a two-year-longscam, during which prosecutors say he approved fraudulent and inflated work orders in exchange for $11,000 in kickbacks.
The school’s business manager, Lorelle Dance, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2006, and a telecommunications contractor, Charles Wiggins, was charged with bribery and is weighing a plea agreement, according to court documents.
Wiggins installed computer and electronic equipment at several schools in the District, including Bunker Hill, Hamilton, Ludlow-Taylor and Rudolph. Beginning in 2001, the Maryland resident arranged with Dance to overcharge for his work and share the surplus money with her, according to court documents.
“They would be overcharged for what the job was worth; sometimes there would be charges for work that wasn’t done,” Wiggins said in court.
Wiggins and Dance soon created a shell company called Motts Sales and Services to funnel more than $60,000 from DCPS without any work in return, according to testimony and court documents.
In late 2003, Wiggins allegedly gave three checks totaling $11,000 to Smitherman, who was responsible for approving the fraudulent invoices. An indictment says that this money was a bribe for allowing the scheme to continue.
Smitherman’sattorney, Mary Petras, said in opening statements that her client thought the checks were retirement gifts.
“Mr. Smitherman made a mistake by accepting and not questioning these gifts, but he did not commit a crime,” Petras said.
