Ex-Dallas County Schools Superintendent Who Had ‘perfect Life' Gets 7-year Sentence for Taking Bribes

Rick Sorrells has a doctorate and was a minister, the judge noted. He made a good living as a public servant, heading up a public agency that provided school buses to Dallas students. Despite his opportunities in life, Sorrells succumbed to the allure of something better: fancy cars, expensive jewelry and lavish trips. And it took $3 million in bribes to make it happen, prosecutors said. "You just sold out the public for your own financial benefit," U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn said Wednesday during his sentencing hearing.The judge gave Sorrells, 73, seven years in federal prison for a $70 million bribery scheme that led to the spectacular demise of the school transportation agency known as Dallas County Schools. Sorrells, the agency's former superintendent, took the illicit payments from the owner of a Louisiana camera company. In exchange, Bob Leonard's company received $70 million in contracts to provide surveillance cameras for the agency's school buses.   Continue reading...