PIMA COUNTY, Ariz. — A woman has recently pleaded guilty to theft for continuing to take funds from Arizona’s school voucher program after leaving the state, officials say.
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Amanda Maestas has pleaded guilty in Pima County to a charge of theft, a Class 6 felony, for improperly taking money from the Empowerment Scholarship Account program.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office said Maestas continued collecting ESA money after she and her child moved to Texas, making the child ineligible for the program. The ESA program allows public education funding to be spent on sending kids to private schools.
The vouchers have become a polarizing issue among Republicans and Democrats in Arizona as conservatives argue the program allows parents to choose how their child is educated and liberals think the program needs more restrictions.
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, vowed to hold accountable individuals who defraud the education program.
Maestas will be ordered to pay $28,433 in restitution to the ESA program and is expected to serve a term of supervised probation, according to the plea agreement.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26.