BOSTON (WHDH) - The former head of Boston’s New Mission School in Hyde Park has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of wire fraud in connection with accusations that she misused school funds for personal expenses, including two vacations with her friends, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Massachusetts announced Tuesday.
Naia Wilson, 60, acted as the head of the New Mission School from 2006 to 2019. Between September 2016 and at least May 2019, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Wilson would allegedly request checks from a school account that would sometimes be issued in the name of others.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said she would then fraudulently endorse those checks to herself before depositing them into her own bank account “without the nominee ever knowing or authorizing her to do so.”
Investigators said some of the money was used to pay for two vacations to Barbados with her friends in 2016 and 2019.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy discussed allegations in a statement, saying “We will not allow this type of gross abuse of authority and responsibility fly under the radar.”
“Individuals who take advantage of public trust to line their pockets will be investigated and held accountable,” he continued.
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper also issued a statement on Tuesday after the U.S. Attorney’s office announced allegations against Wilson.
Skipper, in part, thanked the U.S. Attorney’s office “for its dedication and professionalism in this investigation as well as its efforts to restore misappropriated funds to our students.”
“The Boston Public Schools takes its responsibility as a steward of public funds very seriously,” Skipper said. “Our student resources are precious and we are committed to ensuring our students are always put first.”
Skipper continued, saying the Boston Public Schools have implemented “additional internal protocols and procedures to prevent a situation like this from occurring again.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu separately shared her reaction on Tuesday, saying the city wants to see justice.
“This is an issue that the city and our administration had been trying to address years after the initial incident happened,” Wu said.
“We take it very very seriously for the proper use of public funds and that our young people should have those funds directed to creating opportunities for them,” Wu continued.
Wilson has also agreed to pay restitution. She is scheduled to appear in federal court at a later date.
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