Principal Of East Bay Private Schools Stole Retirement Contributions From Teachers: DA

CASTRO VALLEY, CA — The principal of two East Bay private schools has been accused of stealing retirement contributions from teachers and evading taxes

Prosecutors say Victor Dawson, 52, stole retirement contributions from six teachers at New Horizon (K-8) in Newark and Mission Hills Middle School in Castro Valley, evaded paying state taxes and payroll taxes by failing to file tax returns and deducting payroll taxes from employee paychecks in 2024.

Dawson not only served as the principal of both these schools, but is also the owner of New Horizon in Newark, according to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.

It's unclear exactly how much money Dawson is accused of embezzling. Prosecutors say he used the money "for his own benefit."

"Parents trust that school owners will use tuition funds to educate their children and to compensate teachers for their hard work, not to enrich themselves," Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a statement Wednesday. "This case represents a breach of that trust. My office’s Worker Protection Division is committed to prosecuting cases when workers are fraudulently denied their earned income."

Dawson is now facing two counts of felony wage theft, two counts of felony tax evasion, one count of misdemeanor tax evasion, and one count of felony embezzlement, prosecutors said. Prosecutors are also seeking a civil judgment against Dawson with penalties totaling more than $680,000.