Arizona Schools Become Money Laundering Front

When I hear the term "money laundering", I usually think back to the hit AMC drama Breaking Bad. In the later seasons of the show, the main character is forced to launder millions of dollars through multiple fake businesses including, but not limited to a car wash, laser tag arena, and a literal laundromat.

This paved way for the public idea of how criminal money is laundered, but real life can be far more sinister.

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Empowerment Scholarship Account Program

The ESA program has been active in Arizona for more of a decade. The program gives vouchers to families that allows them to utilize public taxpayer funds to cover educational dues. The program is available to all Arizona students K-12 regardless of their family's income.

This system was advertised to be airtight, only supplying funds to families with children and requiring proper paperwork to receive the benefits.

Turns out it wasn't that airtight.

The Fraud

Noticing the possibility for free, easy money, five Arizona residents began concocting a plan. The five created fake families, some with real children and some with "ghost" children, or persons that do not exist.

These children (or rather the idea of them) were used to withdrawal funds from the ESA account. They created fake disabilities for the children as well to guarantee a larger payout.

Once finished, the group has stolen upwards of $600,000 from the program, which may I remind you, is made up exclusively of taxpayer dollars.

The five are meant to stand trial soon, and will hopefully be forced to reimburse the money they stole from not just Arizona residents, but from the children who really needed it.