Oklahoma State Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd has publicly announced her support of Oklahoma Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, as he moves forward in the prosecutions against the former management at Epic Charter Schools. This follows an SAI 2020 audit which resulted in felony charges of embezzlement and racketeering against founders Ben Harris and David Chaney and their CFO Josh Brock.
The tale of the Epic Charter School scandal began when SAI released its report on Epic after a thorough review of its finances. The report revealed that the company’s founders misappropriated millions in taxpayer dollars to enrich themselves and their close associates.
Since then, Epic Founders worked tirelessly to prevent justice from being served, even funneling millions in embezzled tax dollars into a straw candidate, Steve McQuillin, in an attempt to unseat State Auditor Byrd.
We previously reported on this, watch the full video here.
Voters turned out in droves to re-elect Byrd, illustrating that Oklahomans know she is committed to protecting taxpayers from fraud and abuse, especially when those involved are entrusted with public funds.
Ultimately, it is reassuring that AG Drummond is committed to ensuring justice is served in this case. The recent statement by Byrd demonstrates her dedication to protecting Oklahoma taxpayers from abuse and fraud while promoting accountability among those responsible for managing public funds. “These men misappropriated millions in taxpayer dollars. This scheme has been exposed and it is now time to hold the bad actors accountable.”
