Aug 28, 2009 8:01 pm US/Eastern
Ex-Monroe County School's Chief Found Guilty
Randy Acevdeo Found Guilty On 3 Counts Of Official Misconduct
His Wife Also Charged With Fraud & Grand Theft. Her Trial Is In October
KEY WEST (CBS4) ―
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Monroe County School Superintendent Randy Acevedo, pictured in a booking photo taken shortly after his arrest on obstruction of justice charges.
Monroe County Sheriff's Department/CBS
Monroe County School Superintendent Randy Acevedo was convicted on three counts of official misconduct Friday as jurors found him guilty of trying to cover-up his wife's alleged theft of more than $180,000 in school district funds.
Each charge is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison but because Randy Acevedo has no prior criminal history it is unlikely he is facing jail time, according to Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward. Ward, however, said his office may still ask for jail time. "This case involves the public's trust," he said.
Acevedo's sentencing is set for September 17.
Acevedo showed little emotion when the jury of four women and two men announced its verdict. He was immediately taken into custody. Circuit Court Judge Mark Jones ordered Acevedo confined until he could post a $5,000 bond pending sentencing.
"Naturally I think it sucks," said Acevedo's father as he was leaving the courtroom. Acevedo's mother fought back tears as she left and declined to say anything.
"I'm stunned, I'm just stunned," said Catherine Vogel, Acevedo's defense attorney. "I believe in my client. I believe he is not guilty. I'm just stunned. I respect the verdict of the jury but we're stunned."
Even prosecutors were privately surprised the jury convicted on all counts.
Around town the debate has been whether a husband is ever truly ignorant of his wife's actions. Monique Acevedo was the head of the school district's adult education program. She is facing multiple counts of grand theft and fraud. Her trial is slated for October. The couple have three children.
For recently elected state attorney Dennis Ward, who ran on a platform of rooting out public corruption, the trial was a big win.
"There has been a culture in the school system that has been brought out that this has been going on for some time," he said. He predicted more indictments against other school district officials in the coming weeks.
The question for some: Did jurors use Randy Acevedo to send a message to others or did they believe he was guilty of all charges. Jurors immediately left the courthouse and did not speak to the media.
The conviction marks the end of Randy Acevedo's tenure as school superintendent. He was elected to a second four-year term in November. Once he was indicted in June, Gov. Charlie Crist removed him temporarily from office. Acevedo pushed ahead with a trial only weeks after being indicted because he said he wanted to be reinstated as soon after the start of the school year as possible.
Monroe County School Board members were hoping he would be convicted. Even if Acevedo had been acquitted they were going to ask the governor not to reinstate him. Now they can avoid a long drawn out battle.
School board members can now turn to the problems exposed by the Acevedo affair. A recent audit found widespread accounting problems in the district which has an annual budget of $160 million and serves more than 8,000 children in the Florida Keys.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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