Thompson Arrested, Charged
Thompson Arrested, Charged
Blog Article
Former Shakopee Schools superintendent Rod Thompson was arrested and booked into the Scott County jail today on 21 charges that he stole and embezzled nearly $74,000 in school district funds over five years.
He faces six counts of felony theft by swindle, 13 counts of felony embezzlement of public funds, one count of felony possession of stolen property and one count of misdemeanor receiving stolen property. He faces a maximum 125 years of imprisonment and $311,000 in fines.
“If he’s found guilty of what we’ve charged him with, we will be seeking prison,” Scott County Attorney Ron Hocevar said.
According to Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate, the investigation revealed Thompson also committed fraud with his contractual adoption benefit. Thompson is still under investigation by the FBI for alleged kickbacks he received from companies that did business with the district.
“This case has been on the minds of Shakopee residents for almost six months now. There have been many rumors and much speculation as to what happened,” Tate said. “People are naturally upset, and they should be; this was not right. I hope this arrest will answer many of the questions people have and reassure them that the person responsible is not only being held accountable, but being held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”
Thompson turned himself in at the Shakopee police station Tuesday. He was handcuffed, put in a squad car and transported to the Scott County jail.
The time and effort put into the investigation into Thompson surpassed the hours needed for three homicide investigations, Tate said.
Jewelry, sports memorabilia, travel
According to the statement of probable cause filed in Scott County District Court, Thompson made 305 personal purchases using his district credit card between November 2014 and May 2017 totaling over $30,000. Included in the purchases were sports memorabilia, personal memberships, an XBox, motorcycle jewelry, clothing, alcohol flasks and personal travel expenses.
Court documents also allege Thompson swindled the school district by attending the Urban Superintendents Academy. Thompson told the School Board there would be no expense to the district for his trips to Washington, D.C., for the academy, but police found he spent $13,448 on his 10 trips between 2015 and 2017.
One count of felony theft by swindle relates to Thompson’s adoption benefit. In July 2014, Thompson entered into a contract with the district to extend his employment. A January 2014 addendum to that contract allowed Thompson $30,000 for an adoption benefit, with an additional 25 percent that was approved by the executive committee, court documents say.
Thompson was supposed to submit reimbursement requests for adoption-related expenses and then be repaid by the district. Court documents allege Thompson was submitting copies of checks for reimbursement that he claimed to have written from his checking account to the Adoption Network Law Center. However, none of those checks were submitted to Adoption Network Law Center; none of Thompson’s checks were cashed.
Thompson was writing the checks and submitting them for reimbursement as a way to obtain cash advances from the school district, according to the charging documents.
In total, the board paid Thompson $37,500, and an additional $12,422 on Thompson’s district credit card for a total of $49,922 for adoption expenses. In 2015, Thompson negotiated to repay the district the $12,422 out of what he claimed to have accrued in vacation and sick leave.
The 13 counts of embezzlement of public funds include a $150 charge for transporting two people from Rico Sun Tours to take them from the airport to a hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico; a $45 garden hose; a $144 elevated garden bed; a $61 Vikings flag; a $23 Vikings flag; a $724 ticket for his wife to fly to Nashville; $40 in bike chain jewelry; a $76 Harley Davidson ring; a $308 charge for a flight upgrade; $472 for a TV; $575 Grand Ole Opry tickets; $219 cowboy boots; and a $67 Vikings wall graphic.
One count of possession of stolen property is for $1,136 worth of items found in Thompson’s office during a June 5 police search. Court documents say Thompson’s assistant told police none of the items had been in his office before the investigation began and randomly appeared in a closet basket the day of the search.