Department of Justice

DeSoto ISD Employee Pleads Guilty to Embezzling More Than $250,000

A former DeSoto ISD employee pleaded guilty Tuesday to embezzling more than $250,000 from the district, he now faces up to five years in prison

NBC 5 News

On Tuesday, a former DeSoto ISD employee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after embezzling over $250,000 from the district.

The announcement was made in a press release by Chad E. Meacham, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Terry Lynn Sanders, 57, was the former DeSoto ISD Director of Energy Management. In plea papers, he admitted to using a school district credit card to make 30 payments worth $255,100 to an outside company.

According to court documents, the company owner kicked back portions of each payment to Sanders, totaling around $100,000.

Sanders also admitted to that neither he nor the owner performed any work for the district and that the company didn't have a contract with DeSoto ISD.

To test oversight of the card, Sanders used the card to make seven payments worth more than $17,000 to pay a fake vendor tied to his personal bank account.

According to the DOJ, Sanders faces up to five years in federal prison. It's not immediately clear when Sanders will be sentenced.

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