PHOENIX, Ariz. — Two individuals have been sentenced for their roles in a fraud scheme involving Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, which implicated former employees of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), authorities announced Tuesday.
Jakadah Johnson, 21, and Raymond Johnson Jr., 20, were each sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to pay nearly $200,000 in restitution, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
The fraud scheme involved the misuse of state school voucher funds, which were intended to support Arizona students but were instead redirected for personal use.
How the ESA Fraud Scheme Unfolded
The two defendants pleaded guilty in January to facilitation to commit money laundering.
According to investigators, Jakadah and Raymond Johnson Jr. were used as intermediaries by former ADE employees to distribute funds from the ESA program, which offers state funds to parents for private school tuition, homeschooling, and other education-related expenses.
The fraudulent activity, totaling more than $600,000, occurred between October 2021 and November 2023.
More Defendants Tied to the Scheme
The siblings’ mother, Dolores Lashay Sweet, was among three ADE employees charged with orchestrating the fraud. Two others, Dorrian Lamarr Jones and Jennifer Lopez, also face charges for their involvement.
The scheme allowed state funds intended for students’ education to be diverted for personal gain, prompting a wider investigation into oversight failures within the ESA program.
As part of their sentencing, the Johnson siblings must complete probation and pay restitution to help recover a portion of the stolen funds.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has not yet announced sentencing dates for the remaining defendants.
