The former superintendent of the Bassett Unified School District and the head of a construction management firm appeared in court Tuesday on charges alleging they engaged in a scheme to bilk more than $1.4 million from the district.
Former Superintendent Alejandro Rojas, 49, and Luis Rojas, the 57-year-old CEO of Del Terra, are both charged with 12 counts of money laundering and one count each of soliciting a bribe and grand theft by embezzlement, according to the District Attorney's Office. Alejandro Rojas is also charged with three counts of perjury and one count of conflict of interest.
The defendants, who are not related, made their initial court appearances in downtown LA Tuesday, but their arraignment was postponed until Oct. 26. They could not be reached for immediate comment.
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According to prosecutors, Alejandro Rojas allegedly approved more than $1 million in Del Terra invoices between April 2015 and September 2016, when he was serving as superintendent. But prosecutors say the work identified in the invoices was never done.
The money came from a voter-approved $30 million bond measure designed to fund district construction projects and program management services, prosecutors said.
Del Terra had been hired by the district to oversee its construction projects, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Alejandro Rojas was the district's superintendent from April 2014 to May 2017.
"Illegally diverting voter-approved bond money from schools not only deprives our children of already scarce resources but also diminishes the public's trust in and support for our educational institutions,'' District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. "Rooting out public corruption is a priority for my office and will help us to maintain our community's faith in a government that fairly and honestly serves all of its constituents."
