Epic founders Harris, Chaney bound for criminal trial as 2-year preliminary hearing ends
Oklahoma County Special Judge Jason Glidewell has bound Epic Charter Schools co-founders Ben Harris and David Chaney over for trial on charges of embezzlement and racketeering related to $22 million in public funding. The judge dismissed some counts but found probable cause for most of the charges.
Epic Charter Schools co-founders Ben Harris and David Chaney will face trial on charges of embezzlement and racketeering. Oklahoma County Special Judge Jason Glidewell ruled that prosecutors established probable cause that the way they steered $22 million of public funding to their private company constituted a crime. The preliminary hearing, which began in 2024, concluded with the dismissal of some counts against the defendants. Harris and Chaney still face over a dozen counts of fraud, money laundering, embezzlement, and racketeering. Glidewell rejected the defense's argument that the funds were private, stating that public school funding remained public until it fulfilled its 'benevolent purpose'. The case is being prosecuted by the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, which released a statement calling Glidewell's decision 'decisive'.
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