Former School District Employee, 2 Others Face Fraud Charges
By Diana Rocco
BRISTOL TOWNSHIP, Pa., (CBS) -- A former Bristol Township School District maintenance director and two other men were charged Tuesday by indictment with one count of conspiracy and five counts of wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud the school district, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
"Going to school should be about the kids not what you can lace your pockets with I mean that's just wrong," said a parent.
Federal authorities say 59-year-old James Anders allegedly used his position to steer school contracts to a company owned by a friend, 58-year-old Patrick Squires, with the help of a third man, Ernest Neff, allegedly getting around the bidding process by submitting three bids from companies all owned by Squires from 2006 to 2010 in exchange for kickbacks, allegedly defrauding the district of about $373,453.43.
Anders' son defended his father.
"He's an upstanding citizen. He does volunteer work for the fire departments he's been doing it for 20 years," said son David Anders.
But at back to school night at Buchanan Elementary, parents are outraged.
"If they were going to take that much money out of them without them noticing until now then no they weren't on top of it. So it's kind of a disappointment," said parent Rich Giannamore.
Giannamore has two kids at the elementary school. He says the district is cash strapped as it is and they've been waiting months to get into their new building.
"They're playgrounds are missing and they're not replacing them," he said.
In a statement, the school district claims they found the alleged abuse and immediately reported it, saying, "our students teachers and taxpayers did not deserve the alleged deceptive practices."
If convicted, all three men must pay restitution to the school district and could be looking at more than 100 years in prison.
