How many teachers in Texas public schools cheated on their certification tests? The answer is as many as 400 or possibly even more. The whole scheme was run by a small crew of teachers/administrators operating in Houston.
Five people have been charged with organizing and participating in an illegal cheating scheme that certified more than 200 unqualified teachers and helped the plot’s “kingpin” rake in more than $1 million, prosecutors said.
In the scheme, people would typically pay $2,500 to have proxies take certification tests for them at two testing centers in Houston. The scandal involved bribing a testing proctor to allow test applicants and their proxies to switch places, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said at a news conference Monday.
Overall, more than 400 fraudulent exams were taken and over 200 teachers were falsely certified on a variety of exams and are now scattered across the state. The scheme was traced to May 2020, during the Covid pandemic.
Prosecutors allege the plot was orchestrated by Vincent Grayson, 57, the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in the Houston Independent School District.
Grayson, Tywana Gilford Mason, 51; Nicholas Newton, 35; Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22; and LaShonda Roberts, 39, have been charged with two felony counts apiece of engaging in organized criminal activity.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the grand jury indictments Tuesday.
How the alleged scheme was exposed
In mid-2023, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the state agency that oversees primary and secondary public education, said it had become aware of "certain irregularities" at Houston’s Training and Education Center, known as HTEC, a location for candidates to take certification exams.
Investigators noticed a pattern, they said: Numerous teacher certification candidates who previously failed certification exams would drive from faraway Texas cities to the Houston area to take exams.
“Suddenly, they were passing the test with flying colors,” Mike Levine, a felony chief in the DA’s Public Corruption Division, told reporters.
Then a tip came in that exposed the cheating scheme, authorities said.
A former coach applying to be a police officer in a different part of Texas “had an attack of conscience” and came forward, Ogg said.
The tip and the ensuing investigation led authorities to an email address, a Zelle account, a CashApp account, a phone number and eventually the identifications of some of the defendants, investigators said.
Investigators interviewed dozens of teachers — at least 20 of whom cooperated and told "nearly identical version of events," Levine said.
Bribed proctors, testing proxies and referrals
While teachers can be hired without certification, they have a certain time window to eventually get certified. There are also certain classroom positions, such as teacher’s aides, that don’t require certification, but getting it is “an opportunity to triple their salary,” Levine said.
Authorities said that under the alleged scheme, TEA certification candidates would pay Grayson $2,500.
Grayson then bribed Gilford Mason, who was the certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center, Levine alleged. He'd pay her about 20% of the $2,500 to allow the cheating, Levine said.
Grayson would instruct candidates when and where to appear for the test.
“They would come, show ID, sign in and leave. A few minutes later, Nicholas Newton, the proxy tester, would sit in their seat, take and pass the test that they felt they could not,” Levine said. Newton is an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School, according to the DA's office.
Officials said Grayson made at least $1,090,000 from the scheme, and most likely more in cash, which is harder to trace.
Grayson paid Gilford Mason at least $125,000 via more than 350 separate transactions on Zelle and CashApp, authorities said.
Newton, the proxy test taker, was paid at least $188,000 from May 2020 through February 2024 to take over 430 certification tests for teachers who paid for the services, officials alleged.
He was caught “red handed” in February, and when he spoke to investigators, “he gave essentially a full confession,” Levine said.
Roberts, an assistant principal at Yates High School in the Houston ISD, is believed to have sent over 90 teachers to the scheme and personally sent over “$267,000 to Mr. Grayson, frequently profiting along the way,” officials said.
HTEC was shut down in mid-2023. But even then, Grayson continued the scheme at a new location called TACTIX, Levine said.
Wilhite, a young proctor at TACTIX, is accused of accepting cash bribes of $250 every time she let testing candidates sign in and leave and let someone else test in their places, Levine said.
Ongoing investigation
Grayson and Roberts were arrested Monday and released later on bond. Newton was arrested Monday and is in the Harris County Jail. Booking information was not immediately available for Gilford Mason or Wilhite.
Grayson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It's not immediately clear whether the other defendants have attorneys.
Brandon G. Leonard, an attorney for Roberts, told NBC News: “These accusations are simply unsubstantiated claims, and we will aggressively defend against these baseless charges. Ms. Roberts looks forward to her day in court, where we’re confident the truth will come to light.”
The investigation continues, as Levine says accounts have not yet been seized.
Ogg said the teachers believed to have cheated include at least “two sexual predators, who once falsely certified, had access through their employment, to underage kids on campus and off.” One has been charged with indecency with a child and another with online solicitation, she said.
Officials urge anyone with additional information to come forward.
TEA is looking over exam protocol and into any teachers who are alleged to have participated in the scheme.
“They are going to go over every teacher, I’m sure, and take whatever action they see fit if they believe someone fraudulently obtained a certification,” Levine said.
The TEA said in a statement Wednesday that it will "review any and all information shared by law enforcement and pursue appropriate action against any educator involved in this scheme. The State Board for Educator Certification will make a final determination on possible sanctions."
The Houston ISD said its three employees arrested in the case — Grayson, Newton and Roberts — "will be receiving notifications relieving them of their duties effective immediately."
The school district said that it was made aware of the investigation shortly before the arrests were made and that it is cooperating with TEA and state and local law enforcement agencies.
