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Federal agents this week arrested two men after a grand jury unsealed an indictment accusing them of stealing more than $8 million in public-school money and spending it on luxury items — including a $30,000-a-month Miami vacation rental. The case centers on Dohn Community High School, a nonprofit charter program that served at‑risk students, and it reads like a how-not-to-run-a-school handbook.
The indictment: luxury living on school dollars
According to prosecutors, the scheme ran from 2021 through 2024. The indictment says Dohn authorized over $8 million in payments to companies controlled by one defendant, and roughly $4 million flowed back to the school’s former superintendent as kickbacks. Among the red flags in the charging papers: a two‑year lease for a high-end Florida property billed at $30,000 per month and purchases of luxury cars allegedly paid with diverted funds. If true, this wasn’t bookkeeping — it was a heist dressed up as contracting.
Who’s charged and what prosecutors are saying
Federal prosecutors named Leondo Ramone Davenport, the former superintendent and operator of Dohn Community High School, and Jonathan Larry Ballew, a business partner who controlled the billing companies. Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald called the allegations “a brazen scheme that stole from both taxpayers and students.” United States Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II and the FBI’s Cincinnati office joined the announcement. The indictment includes wire‑fraud and monetary‑transaction counts that carry hefty potential prison terms if convictions follow.
Why this matters: students and taxpayers left holding the bag
Charter schools and nonprofits exist to serve kids — especially those at risk — not to bankroll beachfront getaways. Ohio Auditor Keith Faber correctly framed this as theft of public resources. Beyond the criminal case, families and taxpayers deserve a clear accounting: how did payments for alleged construction work or services never performed get approved? How did board oversight fail? This is about criminal charges and about basic stewardship of education funds.
What comes next and what officials should do
The indictment is an allegation and the defendants are entitled to a fair process. Still, this scandal provides a straightforward lesson: stronger oversight, routine audits, and quick transparency must be standard for any school that takes public dollars. Prosecutors should follow the evidence, auditors should recover every misused dollar, and policymakers should tighten rules so Miami vacations stop popping up in school budgets. If we value education, we can’t tolerate anyone treating taxpayer money like a personal expense account.
