A Ferrari and a vacation home renovation were just some of the things that two men bought with funds linked to theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, according to the U.S. Department of Justice .
U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced Thursday that Jeffrey Menge, 43, and Eric Drabert, 44, pleaded guilty to the theft. They are expected to be sentenced in May by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley and each face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Per the DOJ, Menge began serving as assistant superintendent of Patterson Joint Unified School District in 2018. It is located in Patterson, Calif. – around 87 miles southeast of San Francisco, Calif. – and it serves approximately 6,177 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics .
In 2020, Menge hired Drabert to serve as the school district’s IT director. Menge also controlled a Nevada-based company called CenCal Tech LLC, which the two men used to conduct schemes to embezzle money from the school district.