KIPP DC says late Hyattsville Mayor Kevin Ward defrauded school of $2.2 million
Late Hyattsville mayor accused of stealing $2.2M from KIPP DC
The late Hyattsville mayor Kevin Ward is accused of stealing over $2 million dollars from KIPP DC. A federal investigation shows that Ward, who took his life early this year, defrauded the public charter school system during his time of employment there as the senior director of technology.
A federal investigation of Kipp DC unveiled that late Hyattsville mayor Kevin Ward defrauded the public charter school system of more than $2 million.
Ward was KIPP DC's former senior director of technology. The funds he is accused of stealing were intended for electronic devices for students during the height of the pandemic.
Court documents show Ward instead used the money to buy two properties in West Virginia and several cars including Teslas. He sent out numerous invoices through a company called Tenret Tech in the spring of 2020.
Ward was an authorized person on the business and the company's address was Ward's home address.
School leaders noticed in November 2021 that Tenret Tech never delivered any of the products ordered by Ward. That's when the U.S. Attorney's Office got involved.
(City of Hyattsville)
In a press release, the school system said it has already recovered $1 million dollars from its insurance provider. Another $800,000 could be recovered through the Department of Justice's asset recovery process.
READ MORE: Hyattsville Mayor Kevin Ward dies by suicide
Ward was found dead on Tuesday, Jan. 25, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 44 years old at the time of his death.
In May 2021, he became the first Black man to be elected mayor of Hyattsville. The city released a statement after his passing, calling him a "valued and trusted leader and a fierce advocate for all the people of Hyattsville."
On Tuesday, the city said that it was aware of the reports regarding the former mayor. "The City of Hyattsville is not implicated in any way," a statement reads. "City leadership would like to assure community members that there is a robust, multilayered approval process in place for the expenditure of City funds and no elected official has access to the City’s cash account."