Police extradite man charged with $600,000 school theft
Debits to the Latin Academy Charter School’s bank account included:
- $12,000 at Goldrush Showbar on a single date, plus thousands more on other occasions
- $2,848 at Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead
- $2,224 at BQE Restaurant and Lounge, plus thousands more on other occasions
- $2,109 for Carnival Cruise tickets
- $1,000 in ATM withdrawals in a single day, plus thousands more on other occasions
Source: AJC Archives
The man accused of the biggest theft of charter school finances in state history, an estimated $600,000, is back in Georgia after fleeing to Colorado.
Christopher Clemons, the founder and former director of Atlanta’s Latin Academy Charter School, was extradited by Atlanta police August 3, nearly four months after his April arrest in the Denver area.
Clemons waived a court appearance Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court, sheriff’s officials said. His next court date is August 18.
Clemons is accused of taking school funds and using the money for personal expenses. The alleged thefts affected Latin Academy, one of Atlanta Public Schools’ higher-performing middle schools, and two new Fulton County charter schools.
Debits included a cruise tickets, dinners, cash withdrawals and and spending at strip clubs. Latin Academy board members discovered the missing money last summer. He’s been charged with theft by taking and deposit account fraud.
The loss of funds resulted in board members voting in May to close the school.
The two other schools are overseen by the Fulton County school district. There are no plans to close the Fulton schools, an attorney for those two schools previously told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
