(Courtesy of jailbase.com )
Broward County Fla Jan 12 2013 It was a dirty deal with her bogus cleaning supply company that police say led to a 37-year-old woman's arrest in Sunrise.
Christen Rector, of Plantation, is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from at least 17 out-of-state school districts that contracted with her fake business, Sunrise police said Thursday.
She is facing charges of larceny-grand theft of $100,000 or more and fraud. Rector, whose listed place of employment is Peters Elementary School in Plantation, was arrested Tuesday and posted $32,500 bond the next day.
The Broward County School District confirmed Thursday that Rector was hired Oct. 1, 2007, as a bookkeeper at the elementary school. She resigned the position Tuesday, according to the district.
The alleged fraud had been ongoing since at least 2009 and all checks Rector received were cashed at two Check Cashing Stores in Sunrise, according to a police report.
On Dec. 11, police were alerted by the school superintendent in Sterling, Kansas, who said that his school district had paid Rector's company, C&J Supplies, more than $8,000 for cleaning products, but never received any supplies, the report said.
The checks were all mailed to a post office box in Sunrise and cashed under the business account of C&J Supplies, which lists Rector as its owner, police said.
Rector targeted school districts in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota, the police report said. Three towns in North and South Dakota were also allegedly defrauded.
Steve Adams, superintendent for the Piper Unified School District No. 203 in Kansas City, Kansas, said his district learned of the alleged fraud when Sunrise investigators contacted them last month. The district had purchased more than $10,000 worth of cleaning agents, he said.
"It took quite a bit of time for us to unravel it here," Adams said.
For single purchases under $10,000, there is no competitive bidding, Adams said. The district paid Rector's company without noticing it wasn't receiving any products, the superintendent said.
"If she's a bookkeeper, she probably recognizes the process and figured an inconspicuous way of doing it," Adams said.
North Park School District Superintendent Jim Anderson in Walden, Colo., said that his school district appeared to have missed unfulfilled orders totaling about $5,000 because of turnover in the finance department.
"Bills just showed up and then, like I said, I'm surprised we didn't catch it earlier because we're a smaller district," Anderson said.
The district has a total of 200 students in one schoolhouse, he said.
During the investigation, Rector admitted that her cleaning supply company was nonexistent and that she never intended to send any products to any of the school districts or cities that paid for the supplies, according to the police report.
She confessed to being solely responsible for stealing from all of the school districts and cities, police said.
Source:tribune.com
Christen Rector, of Plantation, is accused of stealing more than $100,000 from at least 17 out-of-state school districts that contracted with her fake business, Sunrise police said Thursday.
She is facing charges of larceny-grand theft of $100,000 or more and fraud. Rector, whose listed place of employment is Peters Elementary School in Plantation, was arrested Tuesday and posted $32,500 bond the next day.
The Broward County School District confirmed Thursday that Rector was hired Oct. 1, 2007, as a bookkeeper at the elementary school. She resigned the position Tuesday, according to the district.
The alleged fraud had been ongoing since at least 2009 and all checks Rector received were cashed at two Check Cashing Stores in Sunrise, according to a police report.
On Dec. 11, police were alerted by the school superintendent in Sterling, Kansas, who said that his school district had paid Rector's company, C&J Supplies, more than $8,000 for cleaning products, but never received any supplies, the report said.
The checks were all mailed to a post office box in Sunrise and cashed under the business account of C&J Supplies, which lists Rector as its owner, police said.
Rector targeted school districts in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota, the police report said. Three towns in North and South Dakota were also allegedly defrauded.
Steve Adams, superintendent for the Piper Unified School District No. 203 in Kansas City, Kansas, said his district learned of the alleged fraud when Sunrise investigators contacted them last month. The district had purchased more than $10,000 worth of cleaning agents, he said.
"It took quite a bit of time for us to unravel it here," Adams said.
For single purchases under $10,000, there is no competitive bidding, Adams said. The district paid Rector's company without noticing it wasn't receiving any products, the superintendent said.
"If she's a bookkeeper, she probably recognizes the process and figured an inconspicuous way of doing it," Adams said.
North Park School District Superintendent Jim Anderson in Walden, Colo., said that his school district appeared to have missed unfulfilled orders totaling about $5,000 because of turnover in the finance department.
"Bills just showed up and then, like I said, I'm surprised we didn't catch it earlier because we're a smaller district," Anderson said.
The district has a total of 200 students in one schoolhouse, he said.
During the investigation, Rector admitted that her cleaning supply company was nonexistent and that she never intended to send any products to any of the school districts or cities that paid for the supplies, according to the police report.
She confessed to being solely responsible for stealing from all of the school districts and cities, police said.
Source:tribune.com