Five charged in $1 million Texas teacher-certification cheating scandal

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KIAH) -- In a major teacher-certification scandal, five individuals face felony charges after being accused of orchestrating a $1 million cheating scheme potentially impacting up to 400 Texas teachers, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced today.

The alleged scheme involved fraudulent certifications across the state, with officials suspecting that teachers received unearned credentials. The case was led by Mike Levine, felony chief of the DA’s Public Corruption Division, who indicated that the scheme’s organizer made more than $1 million.

Who’s Been Charged:

• Vincent Grayson, 57: Head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD, Grayson is accused of organizing the scheme.
• Tywana Gilford Mason, 51: Former director and certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center, Mason allegedly helped conceal the proxy scheme as a test proctor.
• Nicholas Newton, 35: Assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School, Newton reportedly acted as a proxy test-taker in the cheating ring.
• Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22: Proctor at TACTIX, Wilhite is accused of taking bribes to allow proxy testing.
• LaShonda Roberts, 39: Assistant principal at Yates High School, Roberts is alleged to have recruited nearly 100 teachers to participate in the scheme.

Each defendant faces two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity.