Man used COVID pandemic to scam half a million dollars from SC taxpayers, prosecutor says
A former employee of a Midlands school district pleaded guilty to scamming his bosses and South Carolina tax payers out of more than half a million dollars, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
David Cortez Marshall, Jr., exploited the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as a part of his scheme, which cost the Orangeburg County School District more than $550,000, acting U.S. Attorney Corey Ellis said in a news release.
The 30-year-old Orangeburg resident pleaded guilty to defrauding the school district, according to the release.
“Any time an employee uses a position of trust to steal from their employer, it is inexcusable and wrong,” Ellis said in the release. “Here, Marshall’s crime was particularly reprehensible because he stole money, provided by South Carolina taxpayers, from a school district during a pandemic that has already created unprecedented challenges in public education.”
Marshall worked for the Orangeburg County School District as a media communications specialist, and he created a scheme to defraud the district while purchasing remote learning cameras for school classrooms, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Through the use of shell companies, fabricated documents, forged signatures and a false identity, Marshall steered the district’s purchasing contracts to companies he created and controlled, purchased the cameras, then sold them to the school at a substantial markup, according to the release.
Marshall also received funds from the school district for the cameras that he never paid to the seller, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
His scheme was eventually discovered by other school district employees, who confronted Marshall and reported him to the FBI, according to the release.
“Throughout the pandemic, individuals like Marshall have created schemes and exploited programs designed to aid the public,” FBI Columbia Special Agent in Charge Susan Ferensic said in the release. “Unfortunately, Marshall misused his position to commit fraud against a school district and line his own pockets.”
Marshall faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and three years of post-prison supervision, according to the release. There is no parole in the federal system.
In addition to paying restitution, Marshall also could be fined as much as $250,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
U.S. District Judge Mary Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Marshall after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
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This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 2:47 PM.
