RANDY ECONOMY: MY WORLD: JEFFREY HUBBARD, KAREN CHRISTIANSEN FRAUD CASE UPDATE: DISTRICT ATTORNEY RELEASES MORE DETAILS ON CASE AGAINST EX-Beverly Hills School Superintendent, and Purchasing Director charges

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You know, the JUSTICE SYSTEM is INDEED ALIVE and WELL here in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, and today was a great day if you are involved with the world famous Beverly Hills Unified School District.

Coruption can run rampant, especially in our local school board and community college districts....

I have been following this case since DAY 1! I have had tens of thousands of people read my blog over the past couple of years regarding the prosecution of Karen Ann Christiansen and Jeffrey Hubbard, two of the seediest officials in public education in the entire United States. Share your THOUGHTS about today's conviction...please post this on your FB or Social Media site.

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Randy Economy

From the Media Division at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office

A former Beverly Hills Unified School District official was convicted today of conflict of interest and taking more than $1.3 million through a building management contract she steered to herself, the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Division announced. Deputy District Attorney Max Huntsman said Karen Anne Christiansen, 53, was convicted of four counts of conflict of interest with an excessive taking allegation of more than $1.3 million found true. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen Marcus immediately ordered Christiansen remanded into custody and increased her bail to $400,000. Sentencing for the defendant is scheduled for Jan. 5 in Department 102 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Christiansen faces a maximum state prison term of eight years. Christiansen – the former facilities director for the district who was hired in 2004 at an annual salary of $113,000 – encouraged the district to borrow money for a building campaign while planning to steer the management contract to herself. Christiansen’s company, Strategic Concepts, ultimately received the contract and began drawing more than $200,000 a month until she was terminated. Christiansen also negotiated contracts with an energy firm, Johnson Controls, to do work for the district while simultaneously negotiating contracts with her own company and Johnson Controls. Co-defendant Jeffrey Hubbard, 54, the former superintendent of the Beverly Hills Unified School District, faces three counts of misappropriation of public funds in connection with the case. Hubbard – now superintendent of the Newport Mesa Unified School District – was charged in December 2010 with two counts of misappropriation of public funds for allegedly giving Christiansen more than $20,000 in unauthorized gifts and giving her increases in her car allowance that were unauthorized by the board. On Oct. 11, Hubbard was arraigned on a Grand Jury indictment charging him with a new count of misappropriation of public funds. The new charge stems from the defendant’s alleged direction of a subordinate to give a raise to a female employee without school board authorization. His next court date is Dec. 12 for a pretrial.

Image via WikipediaBy Randy Economy
www.Economy4ABC.Blogspot.com
December 10, 2010
11:56 a.m.

BEVERLY HILLS –

More details have been released on the indictment of a former Beverly Hills Unified School District official who allegedly negotiated her own district contracts that ultimately paid her $5.2 million, and the district’s former superintendent who allegedly gave her unauthorized gifts of more than $20,000, were charged today with misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest.

Karen Anne Christiansen, 52, and Jeffrey Hubbard, 53, now superintendent of Newport Mesa Unified School District, were charged in a felony complaint with two counts each of misappropriation of public funds. In addition, Christiansen was charged with five counts of conflict of interest, said Deputy District Attorney Juliet Schmidt with the Public Integrity Division.

Christiansen, who now lives in Las Vegas, was hired as a facilities director for the district in 2004 at an annual salary of $113,000. But in 2006, she allegedly secretly negotiated a contract to be an independent contractor while performing her same duties as director, a violation of state conflict of interest codes.

As a result, she was paid $5.2 million by the school district between 2006 and 2009. Christiansen also allegedly negotiated contracts with an energy firm, Johnson Controls, to do work for the district while simultaneously negotiating contracts with her own company and Johnson Controls, Schmidt said.
In addition to gifts, Hubbard allegedly gave Christiansen increases in her car allowance that were unauthorized by the board.

Arraignment information will be provided later. I have been sent lots of email and comments so far on this criminal case that has sent shock waves through both school districts in Beverly Hills and in the Newport Beach, Costa Mesa area. One of my readers pointed out that Christiansen actually had more than a dozen people working for her, and that she in "no way" was paid over $5 million by the BHUSD, but it was her "firm" who was given the payout for "services."

This case is going to be watched by lots of people, including each and every "small" school district in Los Angeles and Orange County. Time for accountability within these countless number of publicly supported school systems.

Give me your opinion. Is the District Attorney right in this case? Or, is this no big deal. Do you think your school system or district is facing the same situation? Sound off! Hit my comment section below! Keep you posted.
RrE