OKLAHOMA CITY – The co-founders of the scandal-plagued Epic Charter School, along with the school’s former Chief Financial Officer, were arrested Thursday morning after a yearslong investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Founders Ben Harris and David Chaney were booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center Thursday along with former CFO Josh Brock. The arrests were announced Thursday on the official OSBI Facebook page.
The three men are being held on a bond of $250,000 and are facing charges of racketeering, embezzlement, obtaining money by false pretense, conspiracy to commit a felony, submitting false documents, violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act, and unlawful proceeds.
“This has been a very complex and arduous investigation with many roadblocks causing delays in getting to the truth,” said OSBI Director Ricky Adams. “Harris, Chaney and Brock came up with a ‘get rich quick scheme’ that lined their pockets with tax dollars that were to be spent for the benefit of Oklahoma students. The OSBI criminal investigation unraveled the intricate scheme layer by layer, in spite of a lack of cooperation, legal obstacles and delay tactics.”
The OSBI said the men operated a “complex criminal enterprise” that involved “co-mingling of funds, excessive and unnecessary management fees, the use of Oklahoma tax dollars in California, political influence, concealment of profits, submission of false invoices, and the illegal use of employees.”
The OSBI estimates that Epic’s schemes cost Oklahoma taxpayers more than $22 million.
Epic Charter Schools, an online-only school that once boasted the largest enrollment in the state, has been under investigation for the better part of a decade. The scrutiny ramped up in 2019, and investigations eventually led to the ouster of the company’s founders.
Earlier last week, the Oklahoma State Department of Education announced it will recommend the school be placed on probation.