Baltimore City Schools Employee Charged In Theft Scheme

BALTIMORE, MD — A former teacher and business manager for a high school in Baltimore City is facing a criminal charge. She is accused of stealing nearly $10,000 from Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School and putting the money into her personal bank account.

Danean Cunningham, of the 700 block of Vine Street, is charged with theft scheme from $1,000 to $10,000, according to court records. The charge was filed Thursday and dates back to November 2017, court records show.

Cunningham, who was the business manager at Mergenthaler, was responsible for collecting and keeping track of all the money that was deposited for the school, according to the Office of the State Prosecutor, which announced the theft charge against her.

Officials said that Cunningham is the fourth employee of Baltimore City Public Schools who has been charged by the state prosecutor's office since 2013.

• Former principal Leslie Lewis was convicted of stealing more than $60,000 from Baltimore Community High School in 2017.
• Former principal of Western High School Alisha Trusty pleaded guilty to stealing approximately $54,000 from the school’s student activity fund in 2015.
• Former principal of Coppin Academy William Howard II pleaded guilty to stealing more than $10,000 from the school's student activity fund account in 2013.

"Depriving Baltimore City students of essential resources for personal gain cannot be tolerated," Acting State Prosecutor Kelly Madigan said in a statement. "We will continue to hold people in positions of trust for schools accountable."