The former executive director and office administrator of a Tucson charter school is facing felony charges of misuse of school funds over a seven-year period, state prosecutors say.
Jason Riegert, the former executive director of Academy Del Sol, is charged with conspiracy, illegally conducting an enterprise, theft, misappropriation of charter school funds, computer tampering, forgery and fraudulent schemes and artifices on July 27. Riegert's wife, Staci Barton, and the school’s former office administrator, Kimberly Richards, are also listed in the indictment and face charges, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Tuesday in a news release.
Riegert and Barton are accused of using funds from the publicly funded school with more than one campus in Tucson to pay for a Cadillac, home renovations and fine dining, the indictment shows. All three are accused of using the funds for trips to Las Vegas, New York and Hawaii, jewelry and luxury clothing.
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Riegert and Barton are accused of spending $100,000 or more of Academy Del Sol’s money. The alleged crimes took place between January 2018 and December 2024, according to the indictment. They were written off for services such as cleaning, technology and landscaping.
Riegert and Barton are currently held at the Pima County jail on a $250,000 bond.
Prosecutors allege Riegert and Richards used the company Platinum Educational Solutions, which was owned by Riegert, as a front to provide student support services that the school never received.
According to the indictment, accounting entries show that Riegert and Barton hired a contractor that was meant to provide school maintenance and repairs and instead used it on home renovations at their personal residence.
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