Board reacts to arrest of IUSD official

Embezzlement charges against Trina Williams stem from what authorities say are padded expenses charged to school district.

Inglewood school board member Trina Williams is facing charges of embezzling district funds. (Photo by Gay McCarthy)

By OLU ALEMORU, Staff Writer

Story Published: Nov 25, 2009 at 12:58 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 25, 2009 at 12:58 PM PDT

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The Inglewood school board has issued its first public response to the arrest of trustee Trina Williams, who was booked Nov. 10 on charges of misusing public funds.

According to the Deputy District Attorney Juliet Schmidt of the Public Integrity Division, Williams is due to be arraigned Dec. 4 on charges she embezzled more than $7,500 from the district over a one-year period.

An audit by the Los Angeles County Office of Education was submitted to the district attorney in July, alleging that Williams overcharged the district for training and travel expenses between June 13, 2007 and Sept. 28, 2008.
Williams is now free on $25,000 bail. If convicted, she faces up to four years in state prison.

Reached on her cell phone last week, Williams would only say, “I can’t talk to you.”

In a Nov. 19 statement released by the board, IUSD officials expressed surprise at Williams’ arrest and said the audit was conducted with the full cooperation of the board, in order to ensure that all members and IUSD staff were in compliance with all financial procedures, policies and protocols.

“In regard to Ms. Williams, the auditors found that from the period of [May 2007 to September 2008,] Ms. Williams had received travel expense advances in excess of expenditures stated in expense report.

“Cash advances in excess of the actual expenditure must be repaid to the District. Although Ms. Williams asserted that many of her expense receipts were lost or misplaced, she nonetheless agreed to repay the $5,523 found by the auditors to be in excess of the approved expenditures. To date almost half of the outstanding balance has been repaid.”

The statement continued that the board and county auditors considered Williams’ conduct to be the result of accounting and administrative errors, and not intentional conduct.

However, the board added that it was not consulted and played no part in the district attorney’s decision to prosecute Williams.

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Joe said on Tuesday, Dec 1 at 9:11 PM

Innocent until proven guilty. Let's not forget that.

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Lawman said on Tuesday, Dec 1 at 5:01 PM

Ignorant Arnold Butler must have released this statement and I'll bet if Williams digs deeper she will find that Mr. Ignorant and Bishop Jack Legg are somehow involved in all the events that led up to her arrest....thats the word that is out there in the district.

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Tinkerbell said on Tuesday, Dec 1 at 2:21 PM

GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY. GUILTY.

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Worker Bee at IUSD said on Tuesday, Dec 1 at 2:12 PM

There is no need to lie. In this department at IUSD we dont make accounting and administrative errors. None of us went on any trips or spent any money. Don't try to clean it up by making up a lie.

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I'LL DO ANYTHING TO SAVE MYSELF INCLUDING SENDING YOU TO JAIL said on Tuesday, Dec 1 at 11:59 AM

This "Reaction Statement" is "politically correct" and nothing more.The last paragraph/sentence really tells the role that was played and why no one else was arrested but Williams.If three other board members owe, why were they not arrested? Wake up Trina. It is clear why only you got arrested. Otherwise there would be no need to even state "the board was not consulted and played no part in the D A's decision to prosecute Williams." I know quilt when I read it. RATS!!

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