The principal of the North Miami Adult Education Center is facing charges after he accepted cash in exchange for hiring a handyman who turned out to be an undercover officer, authorities said.
Jean C. Ridore is facing charges of grand theft, unlawful compensation and official misconduct following his arrest Monday, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office said.
It was unknown if Ridore has hired an attorney. He's been the NMAE Center principal since July 2005.
After receiving anonymous complaints about Ridore's hiring practices, the state attorney's office public corruption task force began the undercover operation. Ridore met in an alleyway with the undercover officer, who was posing as a handyman.
Ridore accepted $1,000 in exchange for hiring the handyman and arranged a kickback of the handyman's salary, authorities said. Ridore arranged for the handyman to be a ghost employee who wouldn't show up for work, as long as Ridore received 50 percent of his salary, authorities said.
Ridore then approved 40 hours of work for the handyman.
"Thinking that you can use government money to benefit yourself is the mentality of a thief, not a public servant," State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Each educational dollar is intended to better individuals and our community, not someone who can manipulate the system. I am proud that this multi-agency law enforcement effort has been able to end such financial abuse. This kind of collaborative Public Schools and law enforcement anti-corruption investigation is one of the strengths of our local community."
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The state attorney's office said they're other ghost employees.
The NMAE Center is housed in North Miami Senior High School but is administratively separate from the high school. Miami-Dade County Public Schools released a statement saying they are collaborating in the investigation.
M-DCPS has been actively collaborating with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and the Inspector General in this case," the statement read. "Let this serve as an example that any attempt to engage in illegal activity or to defraud the community will not only be investigated, but prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Both internally and externally, we are fully committed to protecting the integrity of our school system."
