A Detroit Public School principal who was slated to receive more than $500,000 from the Ellen DeGeneres Show is now facing charges. The principal allegedly took almost $1 million in bribes from a school supply vendor.
Roland Alexander, the principal at Charles L. Spain Elementary Middle School, is facing a bribery charge after allegedly taking $23,000 from Norman Shy, the owner of Allstate Sales. Shy paid Spain in exchange for using him as a supplier for their school needs.
The store is selling school supplies and other items like raised-line paper and auditorium chairs, as reported by Detroit Free Press. Shy is also charged for paying $908,500 in kickbacks to another 12 DPS principals for the same deal as Alexander's.
Clara Flowers, an assistant superintendent of DPS's Office of Specialized Student services helped Shy to run the kickback scheme, as claimed by the Federal prosecutors. The federal court lately released some documents that Alexander organized the school supplies from Shy and proposes fraudulent invoices to DPS for payment to Shy's supplies that weren't delivered.
The investigators claims the kickback scheme started from May 2009 till June 2014. Recent news from CBS Detroit, according to U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade the total amount of kickbacks that Shy paid to 13 school official was almost $908,518. Shy and his company received almost $2.7 million from DPS.
According to Ellen's Assistant Jeannie Klisiewicz, who introduced Alexander as "the most amazing man," they saw Alexander with an enthusiastic and grinning face while thanking the host and the show for the donation. Alexander emphasizes that his school need the donations badly.
"Of all the people in the whole world, I am the happiest principal on Earth," Alexander said. "I love you, we love you... This is the best!" he added. Alexander and the five other DPS principals charged in case are now on unpaid leave, said DPS Transition Manager Steven Rhodes on Tuesday.
