In response to a federal indictment of a Pennsylvania athletic-goods firm making reference to an unnamed Jersey City "school athletic official," School Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. says district "remains vigilant" in its dealings with vendors

Saturday, May 14, 2011
By TERRENCE T. McDONALD
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City school district "remains vigilant" in ensuring the integrity of its dealings with vendors, the schools chief said this week in the wake of a federal indictment connecting the district to the alleged fraudulent billing practices of a Pennsylvania athletic-equipment firm.

The indictment states that an unnamed "school athletic official" ordered thousands of dollars of clothing from Pennsylvania firm Circle System Group Inc., which then fraudulently billed the district to offset the cost of the apparel.

In addition, Circle System bequeathed $2,099 worth of additional apparel as gifts to unnamed officials, and then recouped the money by fraudulently billing the district for work it never performed, according to the indictment.

The school district, which is not named as a defendant in the indictment, has cooperated with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the federal investigation, Superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. said in a statement.

The district "remains vigilant in ensuring the integrity of all of its dealings with vendors," Epps said.

Board of Education president Sterling Waterman and BOE vice president Carol Lester did not return requests for comment.