Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced the unsealing of an indictment against Teresa Brady and Ruby George, both residents of Jacksonville. The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, with additional counts of aiding and abetting in these crimes. Brady faces further charges of money laundering.
Brady and George, who held positions as President and Executive Vice President respectively at Duval Teachers United (DTU), are accused of orchestrating a scheme to defraud the union. The indictment claims they stole over $1.2 million each by selling back leave time they had not accrued or earned. This activity allegedly took place between 2013 and 2022.
The indictment details how Brady and George reportedly concealed their actions by providing false information to auditors and signing checks for each other to distribute unearned leave money. These payments were hidden from the DTU Secretary/Treasurer. Additionally, it is alleged that they failed to report this compensation in required financial statements filed with the Florida Public Employee Relations Commission (PERC).
Brady is also accused of using fraud proceeds for personal expenses, including transactions exceeding $10,000 to pay off credit card debt.
"An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law," states the release, emphasizing that all defendants are "presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys A. Tysen Duva and Kelly S. Milliron will prosecute the case.