Federal authorities have charged a Phoenix resident with helping divert millions in public funds from an Ohio charter school into personal luxuries including luxury vehicles and a high-end Miami rental.
Jonathan Larry Ballew, 62, of Phoenix allegedly teamed up with the school’s former operator to submit phony invoices from shell companies for services that were never delivered, triggering more than $8 million in improper payments, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Prosecutors say the pair divided over $4 million in kickbacks from the billing that ran from 2021 through 2024…