Tag: Corruption

Dallas County Schools are not done stopping careers short.

Federal investigators proved last week they are not finished with the Dallas County Schools scandal. Louisiana attorney Richard Reynolds became the latest to join the growing list of photo enforcement felons after he entered a guilty plea in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas to the charge of misprison of a felony.

Misprison of a felony refers to a crime where someone actively conceals a criminal conspiracy and does not report it to authorities. Reynolds helped school bus stop-arm camera operator Force Multiplier Systems bribe politicians and public officials. The return was their endorsement of a lucrative technology.

Reynolds attempted to hide over $800,000 in bribe payments from Force Multiplier CEO Robert Carl Leonard Jr to Ricky Dale Sorrells, the superintendent of Dallas County Schools. Sorrells ensured that his agency approved the $70 million bus camera contract with Force Multiplier. That move ultimately bankrupted Dallas County Schools.

According to the plea, Reynolds admitted his role was to “make it appear as if Leonard and Force Multiplier Solutions were not paying a public official with whom they were doing business.” Reynolds set up shell companies that paid Sorrells “consulting” fees, though Sorrells performed no work.

Another cut-out, Slater Washburn Swartwood Sr, concealed an additional $2 million in bribes to Dallas County Schools Board President Larry Duncan, and Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway, who was the most vocal advocate of photo enforcement on Dallas City Council. For his part, Caraway received $450,000 in cash.

Criminal investigators at the Internal Revenue Service were credited for “following the money trail to uncover ill-gotten gains” that exposed the network of shell companies used to hide public corruption.

Under the plea agreement, Reynolds was charged with a lesser offense that carries the potential sentence of just one year in prison and a fine of $250,000. The other co-conspirators have been sentenced.

Swartwood is scheduled for release from a Dallas halfway house on November 22. Caraway is set to leave Big Springs FCI on April 28, 2023. Leonard is at Oakdale low-security FCI until July 7, 2025. Sorrells is at FCI Beaumont, a minimum security satellite camp until September 2, 2025. Duncan has already served a short term of house arrest.

Dallas County Schools

Dallas County Schools (DCS) was a taxpayer funded school bus transportation government agency. It was founded in 1846 and offered full service and/or supplemental student transportation services to other government entities and localm private, and charter schools in and around Dallas County, Texas. They also served part of Denton County as well. DCS was one of the top student transportation fleets in the nation and operated a fleet of approximately 2,000 buses. They transported more than 75,000 children to and from school safely each day.

Other Side Dallas will update stories on Dallas ISD and other school matters as information becomes available.