NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A former Norfolk Public Schools (NPS) employee will serve a maximum of one year in prison for felony embezzlement.
Cassandra Janene Meeks-Payton, 55, pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing more than $9,000 in summer school payments from Norfolk Public School students.
In 2019, Meeks-Payton served as the NPS summer school programs manager and was responsible for collecting payments for summer school classes.
That year, 363 students enrolled in summer courses, and the anticipated revenue from summer enrollment was calculated to be $42,300. However Meeks-Payton only delivered $32,830.
On July 8, 2019, Meeks-Payton delivered her first in-person deposit and accounts receivable immediately discovered several discrepancies between the receipts she presented and the revenue received. A week later, Meeks-Payton submitted a supplemental deposit and told accounting she had an addition sum of money somewhere else on school property.
Once again, accounting pointed out discrepancies and offered to assist Meeks-Payton with creating a spreadsheet to help her organize and rectify all the discrepancies.
On Aug. 6, 2019, Meeks-Payton delivered another incomplete deposit and promised to return with additional funds before close of business but failed to do so. At that point, NPS requested reconciliation of all registration money collected by Meek-Payton. Instead of complying, she falsely claimed that money from other schools had not been collected.
On Aug. 19, 2019, Meeks-Payton told NPS officials she would deliver the rest of the money to them — but arrived empty handed. Instead she told them to money was at a relative’s house two-and-a-half hours away. She said she would turn in the money the next day but did not do so.
On Aug. 22, 2019, Mrs. Meeks-Payton emailed NPS officials that she would not be able to provide her receipt books.
In August 2021, the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office secured an indictment from a grand jury against Meeks-Payton for felony embezzlement.
“Mrs. Meeks-Payton was not just stealing from Norfolk Public Schools, she was effectively stealing from the children of our city,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “We appreciate the assistance of Norfolk Public Schools in the prosecution of this case, and we will seek a sentence appropriate to the trust that Meeks-Payton abused.”
Meeks-Payton is scheduled for sentencing on July 12.
