PHOENIX – Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced a State Grand Jury indicted Harold Cadiz and Joann Vega for their alleged roles in the approximately $2.2 million fraud involving the use of false students at the Bradley Academy of Excellence a.k.a. Discovery Creemos Academy.
The Bradley Academy was a charter school in Goodyear, Arizona, that abruptly shut its doors in January of 2018. It is alleged that during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 academic school years, Cadiz, the principal, and Vega, the registrar, conspired with other school officials and employees at Bradley Academy to overreport the number of students enrolled in the school to the Arizona Department of Education. This increased the funds paid to Bradley Academy from the Arizona Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture resulting in approximately $2.2 million of fraudulently obtained funding.
In November of 2018, Daniel Hughes, the Chairman and Director of the Bradley Academy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and theft for his role in the fraud.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Mary Harriss and Jordyn Raimondo.
Copy of indictments.