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Principal Ronald Alexander on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" early this year.
A lawyer friend who is a former federal prosecutor suggests that I'm too harsh by saying U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts is going too easy in her sentencings in the $2.7-million Detroit Public Schools kickback scandal.
I disagree. Vendor Norman Shy of Franklin, the 74-year-old mastermind behind the scam, got five years in prison Tuesday. Ex-school administrator Clara Flowers, the biggest violator of all the charged school employees, got three years for taking $324,785 in kickbacks.
Whatever the case, what's particularly disturbing is how little character some of the principals -- who lack principles -- show in court.
For instance, ex-principal Ronald Alexander insisted Thursday that Shy hoodwinked him, Tresa Baldas of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Shy got an administrator and 12 principals to sign bogus invoices for $2.7 million in undelivered supplies over a five year stretch. In turn, he took the stolen taxpayer money and slipped the district employees about $900,000 in kickbacks or bribes.
Ellen DeGeneres Show
Alexander, you might recall, led Spain Elementary-Middle School in February when it got $500,000 on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Little did the host or producers realize he was a crook who took $23,000 from Shy.
To her credit, Judge Roberts didn't buy Alexander's shameless excuse.
"You are not blameless. You had everything in your hands," Roberts told Alexander at sentencing, according to the Freep. "Mr. Shy did not make you commit a crime."
"Despite your guilty plea, it sounds to me that you think you're guilty of nothing," she said, sentencing him to one year in prison.
On Wednesday, Ronnie Sims, the former principal of Fleming Elementary and Brenda Scott Middle School, got 15 months in prison for receiving nearly $59,000 in kickbacks.
He also showed little character.
During sentencing, he told the judge, according to the Freep:
"I was kind of pressured. There were a couple of people pressuring principals" to use Shy. And if you didn't use Shy, "they just acted like you don't exist," Sims said, claiming he would be left out of conversations or forced to sit alone at a table on certain occasions.
Interesting how these well-paid educators offer the type of b.s. their students would use to try and wiggle out of responsibility in serious matters.
It's not a good lesson.
