Trial rescheduled for charter school founder

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A trial has been rescheduled for a Worthington woman who allegedly pocketed more than $88,000 after telling the government that she was going to open a charter school in Delaware County. The school never opened.

Wendy Marshall, 39, was originally scheduled to stand trial on June 14 to face several felony charges in Delaware County Common Pleas Court but on April 21, Marshall’s attorney, Neil Rosenberg, filed a motion to withdraw from the case, thus postponing the trial date.

Delaware County Common Pleas Judge Everett Krueger granted the motion on May 11 and rescheduled Marshall for a trial on Aug. 9.

Marshall was indicted on felony charges on March 9 by a Delaware County grand jury and entered a not-guilty plea at an arraignment on March 17.

Court documents allege that Marshall requested funding to open a charter school and, after receiving $88,750 in state funds, the school never materialized and Marshall didn’t return the funds.

She is charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, a first-degree felony; theft in office, a third-degree felony; theft, a fourth-degree felony; money laundering, a third-degree felony; two felony charges of securing writings by deception; passing bad checks, a fourth-degree felony; telecommunications fraud, a third-degree felony; and two counts of filing incomplete, false and fraudulent returns, a fifth-degree felony.

Marshall was released from the Delaware County Jail after she posted bond in March.

Officials from the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office say the case was sent to it by the State Auditor’s Office.

The auditor’s office reports that Marshall had applied for and secured sponsorship to open Directional Academy, a community school, for the 2013-14 school year. Court documents say that occurred in November 2012.

In anticipation of Directional Academy’s opening, the Ohio Department of Education issued two payments, totaling $88,750, to a bank account opened by Marshall, the auditor’s office reports. The academy failed to open and a finding for recovery, in favor of the Ohio Department of Education, was issued against Marshall in the full amount.

Court documents also say that Marshall laundered $20,000 in August 2013 and filed false tax returns in 2014 and 2015.

Prosecutors estimated Thursday that Marshall’s jury trial would take four days.

Marshall
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2016/05/web1_Wendy-Marshall.jpgMarshall Courtesy photo | Delaware County Jail

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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