Parents who once dropped their kids off at a Newark private school are now watching the former principal face a felony case in an Oakland courtroom.
Prosecutors in Alameda County say Victor Dawson, 52, the former owner and principal of a Newark private school, was arraigned this week on a slate of felony charges accusing him of stealing teachers’ wages and misusing payroll and retirement deductions. Dawson appeared at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse after the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office filed the case.
According to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, Dawson is charged with two counts of felony wage theft, two counts of felony tax evasion, one count of misdemeanor tax evasion, and one count of felony embezzlement, as reported by SFGATE. Prosecutors say the filing follows a 2024 complaint and a civil action seeking restitution for dozens of school employees.
What prosecutors allege
Court records and prosecutors say the criminal complaint alleges that Dawson committed wage theft in 2024 against 47 teachers and other staff members, withholding money that should have appeared in their paychecks. The same complaint says he deducted retirement contributions from six teachers’ pay and then used that money for himself, according to KTVU…