Former Plano ISD Employee Admits to Embezzling

A North Texas school district employee helped to embezzle at least $2.5 million by approving fake invoices for safety checks, collecting money that instead went to pay for trips to Louisiana casinos, federal authorities said Tuesday.

Kris Wilson Gentz pleaded guilty to taking part in a conspiracy against the Plano Independent School District, where he was a security manager until late last year.

Prosecutors accuse of Gentz and two conspirators of stealing thousands of dollars each month for a decade by approving invoices for work supposedly done by two shell companies under their control. The shell companies, named Fire System Specialists and Digital Security Solutions, were supposedly checking buildings' safety systems on a regular basis.

Another district employee noticed a questionable invoice in November and contacted the district's security director, who then called police.

John Malcolm Bales, the U.S. attorney for Texas' eastern district, said Gentz appeared to have spent most of his share of the stolen money on gambling.

"We will seek every dollar there is," he said. "But the sad truth is, we think ... most of the money was gambled away."

Bales said it did not appear any schools were placed in danger due to missed safety checks, and that the work Gentz was billing the schools for was unnecessary.

Gentz faces up to five years in prison. A sentencing date has not been set. He did not have an attorney listed in court records.