Former Obama Adviser Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud

The Southern District of New York (SDNY) revealed on Friday that a former Obama administration adviser pled guilty to wire fraud and stole $218,000 from charter schools.

Seth Andrew, a former White House adviser, revealed today that he devised a plot to steal from the schools he helped establish. Andrew now faces a federal jail sentence for misusing his position and plundering those he vowed to assist.

According to the Department of Justice, Andrew founded School Network-1, a network of charter schools in New York, in 2005. Andrew quit his job at the school in 2013 to work for the Department of Education. Later, he worked for the White House’s Office of Educational Technology as a senior adviser.

According to SDNY, Andrew closed three escrow accounts in 2019 that were only to be closed if the schools dissolved, as per the charter agreement, and cash could not be moved by Andrew or anyone else without prior consent.

He then transferred the funds from two of the escrow accounts that had been closed to a new company bank account. According to the DOJ, he misrepresented himself as a Key Executive with Control of School Network-1 Charter School to a bank employee in order to open a new business account, and he supported that misrepresentation with emails.

In addition, he transferred the funds from the third escrow account to a new bank account.

“I am truly sorry for what I have done. What I did was wrong and I deeply regret my actions. And, as I stand before you today, I have tremendous remorse for the impact it has had on the schools, the alumni and my own family,” stated Andrew on Friday before Judge John P. Cronan.