Former charter school official to plead guilty in Philadelphia

The former business manager of a charter school network in Philadelphia has signaled that he intends to change his plea and admit that he played a role in an alleged scheme to defraud the schools of $6.7 million. The Philadelphia Inquirer says a March 15 change-of-plea hearing has been scheduled in federal court for Anthony Smoot, 50, who handled finances for charter schools run by Dorothy June Brown. Smoot had pleaded not guilty after being charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstructing justice as part of an indictment that accused Brown and three other administrators of engaging in a scheme to defraud four charters she founded in the Philadelphia area. Brown and her co-defendants have pleaded not guilty.