A former member of the Burbank Unified Faculty District Board of Schooling is going through felony prices following allegations that she authorized a contract with an organization registered to her daughter after which funneled $93,000 price of funds into her personal checking account, authorities mentioned.
In the identical assembly that the alleged embezzlement scheme got here to mild, the district’s superintendent immediately resigned.
Former board member Charlene Tabet was not too long ago charged with one rely of getting a monetary curiosity in a contract or buy made in an official capability, in response to the Burbank Police Division. Police mentioned Tabet signed paperwork and endorsed checks in her daughter’s identify, then deposited the cash into her private account. Tabet didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The college board introduced in a June 5 assembly {that a} contract with a vendor known as Specialised Assist Providers, which was proprietorially signed by Tabet’s daughter, was below investigation. Tabet resigned efficient Sept. 4.
Additionally on June 5, the board introduced that it had accepted the resignation of Superintendent John Paramo. Paramo was accused of knowingly facilitating the cost scheme with Tabet, in response to a June 3 memo to highschool board members detailing an inner investigation into Specialised Assist Providers. He has not been charged with any crime.
A workers member claims that Paramo mentioned, “Ms. Tabet was having cash troubles and this is able to assist her out.” He additionally allegedly mentioned “it’s going to create purple flags in the event that they rent her whereas she is a board member, so they’d create the contract together with her daughter,” in response to the memo.
Paramo didn’t reply to a request for remark and the Burbank Police Division wouldn’t touch upon whether or not authorities are presently investigating him in connection to the scheme.
The alleged misconduct started in September 2024, when Tabet and her fellow board members voted to approve a contract with Specialised Assist Providers to finish a two-year backlog of assembly minutes. Tabet didn’t disclose that the corporate was registered to her daughter or recuse herself from the vote.
The district paid Specialised Assist Providers $93,000 from December 2024 to Could 2025, however throughout that point solely 10 conferences price of minutes seem to have been accomplished, in response to the district’s inner investigation.
“At a clerical sub-rate, this is able to equate to lower than $1,000 in compensation,” the investigation memo states. “Even at a beneficiant consulting charge of $50/hour, the whole shouldn’t exceed $2,500. The district has paid over 25 occasions that quantity.”
The LLC related to the seller was not legally shaped till after the primary cost was issued, in response to the memo. The corporate’s telephone quantity, e-mail deal with and mailing deal with had been redacted on the model of the contract posted with the agenda, however the unredacted model reveals the deal with to be Tabet’s residence, in response to the memo.
The contract was as much as be renewed for an additional $45,000 on June 5; nevertheless, previous to the assembly a involved particular person reached out to the varsity district’s human sources division in regards to the contract and an inner investigation was initiated.
On June 11, the board handed a decision to formally censure Tabet and name on her to resign. On June 18, the board authorized a contract with third-party investigators to additional probe the affair.
“To make sure the integrity of this ongoing course of and to keep away from any interference, we respectfully could not remark additional presently,” Interim Superintendent Oscar Macias mentioned in a press release.
The identical third-party investigators are additionally wanting right into a doable battle of curiosity associated to a $30,000 athletics contract licensed by Paramo, in response to the Burbank Chief. The district contracted with Paramo’s private coach Isaiah Knoll to supply athletic coaching providers even if Knoll doesn’t maintain any credentials in sports activities medication, the Chief reported.
