CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Logan County School Superintendent Phylliss Doty has been named in a five-count federal criminal indictment alleging, among other things, that she purchased iPods and iPads with school system money and sold them or gave them to family members.
The indictment alleges the theft began in September 2011 and continued for more than two years.
It’s alleged that during that time “defendant Doty, 68, of Logan, stole at least 20 of these devices and either sold them on eBay, an online auction site, or gave them to family members.” The theft totaled about $12,000, according to U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart.
“The numbers as alleged in the indictment are not massive in scale, but corruption in any amount, the theft of precious taxpayer dollars, violations of the public trust by public officials is a true cancer to society,” Stuart said. “There is no such thing as a little bit of public corruption. We will not tolerate it. Standing in defiance of public corruption is a fundamental priority for this United States Attorney and the United States of America.”
The indictment also alleges Doty, who later retired from the school system, used approximately $6,500 in school system money to purchase items to be used as decorations for her son’s wedding including bread baskets, easels, drink dispensers, columns, and decorative urns. She allegedly told the purchasing director the items were wanted by the band director at Chapmanville Middle School, but according to the indictment, “the band director neither requested or wanted these items.”
Doty allegedly picked the items up from the school in July 2015 and they were used in the wedding. She later allegedly tried to cover up the purchase.
The five-count indictment alleges two counts of wire fraud, two counts of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of mail fraud. The charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 70 years in prison.
The grand jury handed up the indictment Thursday.