Drummond takes back Epic Charter Schools case, says AG 'should be responsible'

On his first full day in office, Attorney General Gentner Drummond took back control of the prosecution case against the founders of Epic Charter Schools, a case his predecessor relinquished control of last year.

Drummond notified Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna that he would assume prosecution in the case against the school's two co-founders and its former chief financial officer, according to a letter sent to her office on Tuesday, a copy of which was obtained by The Oklahoman.

"As you and I have discussed and as I have said publicly, I believe the Office of Attorney General should be responsible for the prosecution of this matter," wrote Drummond, who was sworn into office Monday.

"These allegations involve tens of millions of Oklahoma tax dollars intended for public education, and the state has a strong interest in ensuring proper accountability."

Last year, former Attorney General John O'Connor, who Drummond beat in a Republican primary, sent the Epic investigation to Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater.

Prater, who did not seek reelection, was succeeded by Behenna this month.

In June, Prater filed charges against the school's co-founders and its chief financial officer, accusing them of wrongfully pocketing millions of taxpayer dollars and spending money intended for students on political contributions and personal expenses.

David Chaney, Ben Harris and Josh Brock were arrested and charged in the felony case with racketeering, four counts of embezzlement, using a computer for a fraudulent scheme, presenting false claims to the state and acquiring unlawful proceeds. Harris and Chaney also were charged with obtaining money by false pretenses and two further embezzlement counts.

All three have denied any wrongdoing.

Epic Charter Schools has grown into the state's largest school system, serving nearly 30,000 students across the state.

During his campaign, Drummond criticized O'Connor for not doing enough to investigate corruption across the state and hinted the former attorney general might be trying to protect Epic, which has faced years of scrutiny.

O'Connor is “letting the Oklahoma County district attorney functionally serve as the attorney general," Drummond said during a candidate debate last year.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Epic schools case taken back by Oklahoma attorney general