Businessman sentenced to prison for bilking schools out of E-rate funds

News release: A Montgomery, Ala., man has been sentenced to serve 51 months in federal prison after being convicted of stealing nearly $900,000 from 20 school districts or private schools in 13 states. Jonathan Michael Slaughter, 47, was president of E-Rate Consulting Services, which helped schools and libraries qualify for federal subsidies for technology upgrades. The company received funds that it was supposed to pass on to schools, but instead Slaughter kept the money for his personal use. Most of the victimized school systems lost less than $40,000, but the Citrus County (Fla.) district was taken for $678,288, prosecutors say.