UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — A former board of education member in Prince George’s County has been convicted of stealing from the school system she was elected to serve.
As the first guilty verdict was read, Lynette Mundey became upset and had to be removed from the courtroom in handcuffs, according to prosecutors. Unable to regain her composure, the remaining guilty verdicts had to be read without Mundey in the courtroom.
She was found guilty Thursday of collecting more than $1,700 worth of free and reduced lunches for her child between 2010 and 2015 even though she didn’t qualify for the lunch program. The convictions included felony theft, filing a false public assistance application, welfare fraud and several other charges.
Sentencing is set for April 28. Mundey could face up to 49 years in prison.
“It’s important to this community that we have people in place who lead in this county, who our citizens can trust,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela Alsobrooks.
Mundey was a federal employee of the Government Accountability Office and it was that agency that discovered the crime. Mundey was among six GAO employees found guilty of misusing the program, which is only available to families making less than $40,000 a year. The employees combined pulled in $13,000 worth of free and reduced lunches.
“The convictions will remain on their records forever, which is important so that future employers will know what kind of individual they would be dealing with if they attempt to get hired by those agencies,” said prosecutor Jeremy Robbins.
When she was indicted, Mundey was making $93,000 annually as an education board member and a federal employee.
For now, Mundey remains an employee of the GAO, spokesman Chuck Young said in an email to WTOP.
“We will be looking at her status in the wake of the fact she has now been found guilty,” Young said.
According to Alsobrooks’ office, Barbara Rowley pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a public assistance application and is expected to receive a three-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and 50 hours of community service. She will have to pay $3,322 in restitution.
A jury found Jamilah Reid guilty of felony theft, welfare fraud and other charges. Reid is set to be sentenced Feb. 26.
A judge found Tracy Williams guilty of felony theft, welfare fraud and other charges. Williams received a 3.5-year suspended sentence plus three years of probation and was ordered to pay $2,146 in restitution.
Charlene Savoy pleaded guilty to felony theft and was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation, 100 hours of community service and was ordered to pay $781 in restitution.
Terri Pinkney pleaded guilty to making a false statement on a public assistance application and is set to be sentenced on March 1. She is expected to receive a three-year suspended sentence, three years of probation, 50 hours of community service and to pay $1,737 in restitution.
Pinkney’s husband, James Pinkney, was originally charged with the scheme but the charges against him were dropped when his wife admitted to filling out the application, according to Alsobrooks’ office.
