Maricopa County Superior Court held a hearing Tuesday afternoon in Phoenix to establish a possible plea agreement for Sandra Dowling, founder of the Thomas J. Pappas Schools for homeless children, and Maricopa County School Superintendent.
A grand jury previously indicted Dowling on 25 counts, including theft, misuse of funds, conflict of interest and procurement fraud. Dowling has been accused of stealing almost $2 million from a district fund and transferring it to separate account, in which she was not authorized.
Although Dowling did not show up to court Tuesday, her attorney, Craig Mehrens, spoke privately with Judge Edward Burke in chambers. Mehrens refused to comment to the press.
"Sandra Dowling knowingly put herself as the sole authority over large sums of public and private money and proceeded to misuse that money for her personal and professional gain," Sheriff Joe Arpaio said in a press release. "She was supposed to help homeless and troubled children. Instead she was helping herself."
Dowling was elected in 1988 as the Maricopa County School Superintendent. Her responsibilities included serving as the fiscal agent, providing educational services, coordinating school district elections, and providing computer system and technical support. Dowling's job description also included governing the board for the Maricopa County Regional School District, which provides alternative educational services to students.
Although Dowling was not present to negotiate a plea agreement, her alleged accomplice, Marc Frazier, was present and pleaded guilty to a class one misdemeanor. He agreed to the facilitation of misuse of public money.
"The money will be transferred back into the proper account," said Scott Halverson, Frazier's attorney, to the judge.
Frazier's misdemeanor carries a maximum six months jail sentence, $25,000 in fines, and three years probation. Frazier's sentencing is scheduled for August 5, 2008.
