BISMARCK – A Fargo woman has pled guilty to three counts of felony theft by deception in a case involving grant program funds from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI).
Faith Dixon pled today at the Morton County Courthouse.
The charges arose from her fraudulent use of grand program funds administered by the NDDPI for after-school programs to help students who had been disproportionally affected by school closures due to COVID-19. She was approved for up to $350,000 in grant funding for the “Faith 4 Hope” after-school program.
NDDPI became concerned after the initial disbursements revealed ‘significant conflicts of interest’ in violation of the provisions of the grant programs. The majority of recipients of the funding were family members of Dixon, and further investigation revealed concerns as to whether the after-school program was even operating.
Dixon will appear in court at a later for sentencing. The state will recommend a felony sentence of 11 months behind bars, while the defense will recommend a four month sentence and misdemeanor by disposition. Both sides have agreed Dixon will be responsible for $775 in court costs and three years of supervised probation.
“I commend the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction” said Attorney General Drew Wrigley, “The DPI works hard to support strong programs for students while also making sure public dollars are spent responsibly and with accountability. We all want to ensure the money is being used to benefit children who participate in after-school programs, and this criminal prosecution should serve as a deterrent to others who might try to use these funds unlawfully.”
