PHOENIX — An Arizona grand jury has indicted two people of defrauding the state's school voucher program by submitting applications for dozens of non-existent children.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Monday that Johnny Bowers and Ashley Hewitt have been charged with 60 counts of forgery and fraud for an alleged scheme that took advantage of the state's Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which provides public funds for students to spend on private school expenses.
The defendants allegedly submitted ESA applications for 43 "ghost" children and received up to $110,000 from the state program to spend on personal expenses while living in Colorado, the AG's office said. The offenses allegedly took place between 2022 and 2024, according to the indictment.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said Monday his agency had referred the case to the attorney general's office and he was "pleased that prosecutions are following in the cases we sent" to Mayes' office.
School vouchers have become a hotly-contested issue in Arizona between Democrats and Republicans in recent years.
Mayes, a Democrat, has been openly critical of the ESA program, arguing there was a lack of controls regulating the public funds. Arizona's Republican leaders have supported the voucher program's expansion, insisting it has allowed for more parents to choose how their children are educated.
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