Former Superintendent for School Bus Agency Indicted in $3M Bribery Case

Federal prosecutors have charged Rick Sorrells, the former superintendent of the Dallas County Schools bus agency, with accepting more than $3 million in bribes and kickbacks from a camera company.While the indictment doesn't name the company, Force Multiplier Solutions is the Louisiana technology firm that went into business with the agency to supply surveillance cameras.In court documents filed today, U.S. prosecutors in Dallas allege that Sorrells took payments through a set of bogus companies created by himself and an associate with an unnamed company. In exchange, Sorrells agreed to pursue deals that brought the company more than $70 million in business.Lawyers for Sorrells and Force Multiplier could not immediately be reached for comment."The co-conspirators created fake consulting agreements, fake invoices, a fake real estate business, fake loan documents'' to make the scheme work, according to court papers.The payments to Sorrells went to pay off credit card and student loan debts, among other personal uses, prosecutors. The government seeking to recover a 2014 Maserati and a 2012 Porsche purchased by Sorrells, along with about $66,000 in jewelry.Sorrells retired last March from the embattled agency, the focus of an investigation by NBC5 into wasteful spending on equipment supplied by the company. Voters authorized abolishing the agency last year.Sorrell's indictment is the second to emerge from the federal bribery investigation. Slater Swartwood, a business associate of Force Multiplier accused of helping setting up some of the fraudulent companies, struck a plea deal in December after being charged with paying bribes.The Dallas Morning News and NBC5 will provide more updates soon.  Continue reading...