The former executive director and office administrator of Academy Del Sol, a publicly funded charter school in Tucson, have been charged with multiple felony counts in the misappropriation of school funds over the course of nearly seven years.
Prosecutors allege funds were diverted away from the school and spent on casinos, plastic surgery, home renovations, a Cadillac and trips to Hawaii, Las Vegas and New York City.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on Sept. 8 that Jason Riegert, the former executive director, was charged with conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise, theft, misappropriation of charter school funds, computer tampering, fraudulent schemes and artifices, and forgery in late July.
Mayes is seeking a total of 22
felony counts against Riegert. Staci Barton, Riegert's wife, and Kimberly Richards, the school’s former office administrator, are also listed in the indictment and facing charges.
Riegert, Barton and Richards were not immediately available for comment. Riegert and Barton are currently held at the Pima County Adult Detention Center on a $250,000 bond.
Riegert and Barton were accused of spending $100,000 or more of Academy Del Sol’s money. Much of the funds were spent at casinos, according to prosecutors. Mayes' office believes Richards helped log their expenses under school services such as cleaning, technology and landscaping.
Prosecutors allege Riegert and Richards used the company Platinum Educational Solutions, which was owned by Riegert, as a front to provide student support services that the school never received.
According to the indictment, accounting entries show that Riegert and Barton hired a contractor that was meant to provide school maintenance and repairs and instead used it on home renovations at their personal residence.
Between January 2018 and December 2024, the money was also spent on fine dining, jewelry, luxury clothing, and multiple out-of-state trips, according to prosecutors.
Coverage of education solutions on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona alleges charter school funds paid for gambling, plastic surgery
