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Northern California school district worker accused of fraudulently obtaining iPads, GoPros to sell for profit

PIX Now afternoon edition 2-4-2025
PIX Now afternoon edition 2-4-2025 07:57

A former Northern California school district employee is accused of allegedly defrauding his employer out of new tablets, laptops, and other electronic devices and then selling them for his own profit, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday. 

Eric Rego, a former after-school services coordinator for the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Contra Costa County, was charged by a federal grand jury with three counts of mail fraud in connection with an alleged multi-million-dollar fraud scheme. Rego, a resident of El Dorado Hills, was arrested Tuesday and was scheduled to appear in federal district court in Sacramento on Wednesday, said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Ismail Ramsey in a press statement. 

Eric Rego
Eric Rego Mt. Diablo Unified School District

According to the complaint, Rego allegedly used MDUSD funds earmarked for an after-school program to purchase more than $3 million worth of iPads, MacBooks, and GoPro cameras which he kept himself and then sold for a fraction of their cost. Rego worked with a nonprofit contracted by the school district to run its after-school program and, according to the complaint, falsely claimed to the nonprofit that the devices were needed by students in the program.

The after-school program was primarily funded through state grants and designed to benefit students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade in high-need population areas. 

The school district said in a press statement that hundreds of electronic devices were purchased but never delivered to schools or used for student programs. The district said it initially filed a report with the Concord Police Department and has since hired an independent forensic accountant to conduct a financial audit.

The complaint says Rego allegedly directed an employee of the nonprofit to submit monthly invoices that included the cost of the electronic devices, which he approved and submitted to the district for payment while falsely representing that the invoices were for expenses incurred from operating the program. 

"Educating our children is our most pressing priority," said MDUSD superintendent Dr. Adam Clark in a prepared statement. "Anyone who attempts to misuse funds intended for the education of our students will be held accountable. We are committed to full transparency and will continue to take decisive action to safeguard public resources and protect the integrity of our programs."  

If convicted, Rego faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of mail fraud, although any sentence would be subject to federal sentencing guidelines.

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