School Board Blows Whistle on Employees

CHICAGO (CN) - The Chicago Board of Education claims four employees fraudulently billed it for a total of $92,000, and it wants the money back.

The Board of Education sued two current and two former Chicago public school employees in separate complaints in Cook County Court, alleging fraud and unjust enrichment.

The Board claims that Minerva Melendez, who worked as a clerk at Steinmetz School on the West Side from 2007 to 2009, "received $31,015.99 in overtime pay for which she was not entitled."

The Board claims that "Melendez knowingly received public funds based upon forgery, false statements, false representations and/or willful concealment of material facts by receiving wages for the falsified time sheets submitted to the Board."

In 2010, "the Board's counsel sent Melendez a letter demanding repayment of the wrongfully obtained public funds in the amount of $31,015.00," but she didn't pay up, the complaint states.

In a second complaint, the Board sued Michelle Gilmore, a former employee in its Office of Information and Technology Services. Gilmore is accused of falsifying time sheets from April to August 2008 to get $32,028 more than she was owed.

The third complaint claims that Veronica Mosley-Raggs "submitted sick-leave forms to the Board and was paid for 51 sick days from the Board for which she was not entitled. The sick leave pay was for $15,114.16."

Finally, the Board claims that Fulton Bond was paid at a rate higher than he should have been for 4 years. "Because Bond was incorrectly designated as a degreed-military instructor, Bond received $12,959.16 in pay more than he was supposed to receive," the complaint states.

"Also based on Bond's incorrect designation, from June 2003 to March 2007, Bond received $1,000 in pension 'pick-up payments' from the Board for which he was not entitled."

In each case, the Board seeks repayment, plus 9 percent interest from the date of the complaints, and a lien on the defendants' assets until the money is paid.

It also seeks civil penalties not to exceed treble damages.

The Board is represented by its counsel Lisa Hugé.

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