"The onetime head of a Chicago charter school is now facing prison time after she dipped into school funds to buy Louis Vuitton and Coach bags, $2,000 in hair care products and hundreds of dollars in diet pills.
Helen Hawkins, who formerly headed Triumphant Charter school on the city's South Side, was found guilty of embezzlement Friday after a brief trial in federal court.
Hawkins was accused of using the school's American Express credit card for personal use in 2004, but prosecutors introduced evidence of similar conduct in 2003, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Hammerman said.
The case started with an investigation by the Chicago Public Schools' Inspector General's office, which questioned more than $250,000 in credit card charges, including almost $30,000 in charges at major department stores like Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue, designer leather shops including Louis Vuitton and Coach, as well as Elan Furs, Tommy Hilfiger and Skymall Airline catalog."
Helen Hawkins, who formerly headed Triumphant Charter school on the city's South Side, was found guilty of embezzlement Friday after a brief trial in federal court.
Hawkins was accused of using the school's American Express credit card for personal use in 2004, but prosecutors introduced evidence of similar conduct in 2003, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Hammerman said.
The case started with an investigation by the Chicago Public Schools' Inspector General's office, which questioned more than $250,000 in credit card charges, including almost $30,000 in charges at major department stores like Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue, designer leather shops including Louis Vuitton and Coach, as well as Elan Furs, Tommy Hilfiger and Skymall Airline catalog."
