Hilliard school’s past director, ex-teacher charged with theft
A former administrator and a former teacher at Sunrise Academy in Hilliard are charged with theft, accused of fraudulently pocketing tens of thousands of dollars from the Islamic charter school and from the Hilliard City School District.
Leah V. Mohiuddin, 55, of Marysville, the former director of Sunrise Academy, made her first appearance Wednesday in Franklin County Municipal Court on felony counts of theft by deception, forgery, tampering with records and theft. She posted the $75,000 bond.
Casey L. Goleb, 28, of Powell, a former teacher at the academy, is charged with tampering with records and theft. He has not appeared yet in court.
The academy school board’s chairman contacted Hilliard police in December 2013 when he discovered that his signature had been forged on Mohiuddin’s contract. An audit eventually discovered that Mohiuddin paid herself $39,481 in extra salary between 2010 and 2013, court records show.
In addition, an accountant traced to Mohiuddin $28,815 in unauthorized ATM withdrawals and $14,385 in unauthorized gift card purchases, court records show.
The investigation also revealed that Goleb was given a contract with Hilliard school district for an English Language Learner program at Sunrise Academy. But the academy’s board discovered that the ELL program was never offered.
Records showed that Goleb and Mohiuddin submitted false documentation to Hilliard City Schools, fraudulently receiving $198,746 in payments from the district from 2010 to 201 for salary and benefits.
Officer Hyda Slone, the public information officer for Hilliard police, said the investigation has taken many months to present charges because “every single receipt had to be researched. It’s an ongoing investigation.”
“There could be more arrests,” she added.
Sunrise Academy, in the 5600 block of Scioto-Darby Road, was established in 1996 as the first full-time Islamic charter school in central Ohio. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade.