Former administrators at Philadelphia charter school charged with theft

From The Philadelphia Daily News: Two former administrators of a Philadelphia charter school have been indicted on charges of diverting half a million dollars from the school to pay for their other businesses and for personal expenses. Hugh C. Clark, 64, former board president of New Media Technology Charter School, and Ina Walker, 58, the school's former chief executive, have been charged with theft from a federally funded program, conspiracy and 25 counts of wire fraud. Clark and Walker founded New Media in 2004. The indictment alleges that from March 2005 to December 2009, the two improperly funneled $522,000 in the following ways: about $309,000 was used to pay expenses at Lotus Academy, a private school they controlled; about $213,000 to pay expenses at Black Olive health-food store and Black Olive restaurant, their personal business ventures; to benefit Tekhen, a Web-design and Internet-access company Clark owned and controlled; to pay their personal expenses; and to pay third-party expenses for Lotus Academy.