Source: Aaron Foster / Getty
Prosecutors believe a former Boston principal used school funds to live a lavish life of fancy Caribbean getaways.
The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office reported Aug. 1 that Naia Wilson, 60, was charged with one count of wire fraud for misusing $38,806 allotted through the Boston Public Schools system for New Mission School.
The way that Wilson mishandled the stolen money paid for all-inclusive hotel stays and airfare to Barbados in 2016 and 2018 with her friends.
Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, Christopher DiMenna said Wilson used New Mission’s money as her own “personal slush fund.”
Prosecutors believe the woman requested and endorsed checks from an external fiscal agent in connection with Boston Public Schools. Wilson would then deposit the money she secured under false pretenses into her bank account. Contrastingly, such as for the Barbados trips, she fraudulently endorsed checks that fiscal agents made payable to her friends. The scheme went on from around September 2016 to “at least” May 2019.
“We will not allow this type of gross abuse of authority and responsibility to fly under the radar. Individuals who take advantage of public trust to line their pockets will be investigated and held accountable,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy.
Wilson agreed to plead guilty and pay restitution for the wire fraud. The former principal faces up to 20 years in prison. She’s also up against three years of supervised release “and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.”
New Mission is an autonomous pilot college prep school that educates students in grades 7-12. Wilson worked as the institution’s leader from 2006 to 2019.
The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office noted that New Mission and schools like it are “granted maximum autonomy over their budget and spending.”
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper began her tenure in September 2022. NBC 10 Boston reported that Skipper addressed her superintendent role and Wilson’s drama in late July.
Regarding her position, the superintendent said she takes her role as “a steward of public funds very seriously.”
In light of Wilson’s actions, Skipper stated, “Since these incidents, the Boston Public Schools has implemented additional internal protocols and procedures to prevent a situation like this from occurring again.”
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