By Eagle Newswire
U.S. Attorney Trent Shores announced that the United States Attorney’s Office and the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office collected full restitution of $207,590.01 owed by former Skiatook School Superintendent Gary Johnson. U.S. Attorney Shores stated, “the restitution collected from Gary Johnson was owed for the losses his corruption inflicted on the Skiatook Public Schools.” Johnson was convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States by hiding income he received from bribes and kickbacks.
U.S. Attorney Shores further remarked, “From 2004 to 2010, at a time when public schools were forced to count every dollar, Gary Johnson failed to perform the fiduciary duties he owed the citizens and patrons of the Skiatook Schools. For his personal benefit, he approved grossly inflated invoices for the procurement of basic supplies, equipment and services.”
Evidence and documents submitted during the prosecution show Johnson approved the payments of invoices at prices that were as much as 400% inflated above the fair market value. In exchange, Johnson corruptly accepted things of value, including cash, tickets to college football games, and the costs for travel, food, lodging, and entertainment.
U.S. Attorney Trent Shores and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Wilson prosecuted the case. U. S. Attorney Shores thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Depew and the dedicated federal law enforcement agents of the Department of Justice Asset Recovery program who recover assets for the benefit of the people harmed by acts of corruption and abuse of office.
