A Northbrook woman is among several people charged in an elaborate scheme involving “burner phones,” falsified overtime claims and cash kickbacks to allegedly steal at least $250,000 from a Chicago public school where they worked, authorities said.
Jennifer McBride, 40, of Northbrook is charged with four counts of wire fraud in connection with the alleged crime, which was carried out from 2012 until 2019, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago.
An 11-count superseding indictment unsealed Feb. 17 in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that Sarah Jackson Abedelal carried out a fraud scheme while serving as Principal of Brennemann Elementary School on the North Side of Chicago. The first aspect of the scheme involved overtime fraud, for which Abedelal was initially charged last year.
A superseding indictment adds a second aspect to the alleged scheme, procurement fraud, and charges McBride, former assistant principal at Brennemann Elementary School and former Brennemann business manager, William Jackson. McBride, also known as “Jennifer Ellen,” allegedly participated in the overtime aspect of the fraud scheme, while Jackson allegedly participated in both the overtime and procurement aspects, the indictment says.
It was part of the scheme that Abdelal and McBride, assisted by Jackson, obtained money and property belonging to CPS by fraudulently causing certain school employees to receive overtime pay for hours that they did not work, and requiring the employees to give the unearned overtime pay in cash or in the form of prepaid gift cards to Abedelal and McBride, according to the indictment.
Abedelal told the employees that the money would be used to fund legitimate school expenses, when, in fact, Abedelal intended to convert the money to her own personal use, the indictment alleges. Abedelal, McBride, Jackson, and others prepared or caused to be prepared fraudulent overtime sheets to conceal the scheme, the indictment states.
McBride, who left Brennemann Elementary School in 2019 to work at Waukegan School District 60, was placed on administrative leave as Whittier Elementary School interim principal on Feb. 17, according to an announcement from Waukegan District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascensia on the school’s website.
More Top Picks Best Cloth Napkins
McBride had only served as interim principal at Whittier since last week, District 60 spokesperson Nick Alatzakis said. She joined the district in July 2019 as the school’s assistant principal, he said.
The superintendent said in her message that none of the allegations against McBride stem from her time at Whittier Elementary.
“We are working to select an experienced temporary replacement at Whittier while our investigation continues,” Plascencia wrote.
The overtime aspect of the fraud scheme at Brennemann Elementary School was allegedly carried out by Abedelal and McBride, with assistance from Jackson, two other former employees at the school, and others, the indictment said. The charges allege that Abedelal authorized unearned overtime pay for certain employees and directed them to deliver the proceeds to Abedelal or McBride in the form of cash or gift cards.
Abedelal told the employees that the money would be used to fund legitimate school expenses, when, in fact, Abedelal intended to convert the money to her own personal use, the indictment alleges. Abedelal, McBride, Jackson, and others prepared or caused to be prepared fraudulent overtime sheets to conceal the scheme, the indictment states.
It also says that following a visit by investigators from the CPS Office of Inspector General in March 2019, to gather evidence concerning claims of overtime fraud, McBride directed a school employee to lie to the investigators and to tell the investigators that they had worked all the hours of overtime they had received. The indictment also said that following that visit by investigators McBride directed Abedelal to buy a “burner” phone, so McBride could conceal her communications with Abedelal from investigators.
Brennemann Elementary School provides education to approximately four hundred students ranging from prekindergarten to the eighth grade.