11 of 12 Defendants Convicted of Racketeering in APS Cheating Scandal; 10 Immediately Arrested

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All but one of the defendants in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial have been found guilty of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

School Resource Team Regional Directors Dr. Sharon Davis-Williams, Michael Pitts and Tamara Cotman were among the 11 APS officials convicted on Wednesday afternoon. The lone acquittal was for Dobbs Elementary School teacher Dessa Curb, WSB-TV says.

Fulton County Judge Jerry Baxter ordered 10 of the 11 convicted defendants to be taken into custody immediately after their convictions, WSB-TV says. Only Dunbar Elementary School teacher Shani Robinson was allowed to stay out of jail in order to deliver her baby. The defendants will be sentenced next week, according to WSB-TV.

Beverly Hall, who was superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools when the cheating scandal broke, died of breast cancer early last month.

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• Georgia, Fulton School Scores Drop in 2014