Former Beaumont School Administrator Pleads Guilty

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BEAUMONT (AP) — A former Beaumont public schools assistant superintendent has pleaded guilty to theft charges related to school programs that received thousands of federal dollars and of conspiring to falsify standardized test scores.

Federal prosecutors say 61-year-old Patricia Adams Lambert faces up to 40 months in federal prison after entering the plea Monday before U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield.

U.S. Attorney John Bales says Lambert, while a high school principal beginning in 2006, created a culture among school faculty and staff over a five-year period where cheating on standardized tests was accepted and manipulation of scores was encouraged.

An indictment last February also accused her of embezzling more than $750,000 in school money for personal use.

A sentencing date for Lambert has not yet been set.

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