Share on LinkedIn

VALENTINE, Texas (KOSA) - A former employee of Valentine Independent School District has been charged with criminal offenses for allegedly stealing school district funds for his personal use.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas says that Ernesto Villarreal, 42, from Marfa, is accused of using school district-issued credit cards for personal expenses.

Villarreal was only authorized to use the cards for business transactions as the Business Manager and Tax Assessor/Collector.

The alleged misuse of these cards covered a wide range of personal expenditures, including travel, accommodation, home improvements, purchases at hardware stores, cell phone bills, fuel, oil changes, items from convenience stores, payments for university tuition, and other unauthorized expenses.

Furthermore, Villarreal is accused of obtaining payroll details for various employees and former district staff members to forge payroll checks that he deposited into his bank account.

The indictment claims that Villarreal altered the direct deposit details for these employees to redirect the funds to his accounts.

He is facing charges of theft related to federal funds and eight counts of wire fraud.

If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for the theft charge and up to 20 years for each count of wire fraud.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement. The FBI is investigating the case, assisted by the Texas Rangers and the Department of Education Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Greenbaum is prosecuting the case.