Fairfax County School Board member faces embezzlement lawsuit
Fairfax School Board member sued over embezzlement allegations
A Fairfax County School Board member has been accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from a local flight school, according to a civil lawsuit filed by a former business partner.
FAIRFAX, Va. - A Fairfax County School Board member has been accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from a local flight school, according to a civil lawsuit filed by a former business partner.
Kyle McDaniel, the at-large board member and chairman of the board’s budget committee, is being sued for $175,000 in alleged losses and $350,000 in punitive damages.
Fairfax School Board member sued over embezzlement allegations
What we know:
The lawsuit stems from a merger in 2023 between McDaniel’s company, Commonwealth Aviation, and Aero Elite, a Leesburg-based flight school. As secretary and treasurer of the merged company, McDaniel is accused of using company credit cards and bank accounts for personal expenses, including vacations, meals, entertainment, and costs related to his school board campaign. The suit claims McDaniel acknowledged the misappropriation and agreed to repay the funds, but allegedly continued to charge personal expenses.
In his bio, McDaniel states he pivoted to aviation after losing two family businesses during the COVID-19 shutdowns. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from American University.
Civil lawsuit demands damages for misused funds
In a statement to FOX 5, McDaniel said,"This is an ongoing business dispute between my former business partner and myself. I’m going to let this play out in the courts where I intend to prevail, and not in the press." He added, "My focus has been and will remain on fully funding and supporting a public education system that’s responsive to the needs of our kids and community. I will not let this situation distract me from that."
A Fairfax County Public Schools spokesperson told FOX 5, "We understand that this is an ongoing business and legal dispute. We respect the legal process and will refrain from commenting further at this time."
As of now, no criminal charges have been filed.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by an official statement from Kyle McDaniel, Fairfax County Public Schools, and previous FOX 5 reporting.