Two former Miami-Dade County Public School employees are among three people facing charges for allegedly selling GED certificates in exchange for cash, authorities said Thursday.
Roxanne Insignares, a former test chair at Miami Lakes Educational Center and Technical College, Antonio Bouzan, the Secretary/Treasurer at Orchard Villa Elementary School, and test broker Marta Avalos were arrested on multiple charges, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
The three were part of a scheme to sell GEDs to people willing to pay up to almost $3,000, officials said. Insignares falsified records and submitted fraudulent information to the Department of Education and MDCPS, while Bouzan and Avalos negotiated the sales of the GED certificates obtained by Insignares, officials said.
Authorities discovered the scheme during an unrelated investigation and discovered Insignares and Bouzan received cash payments ranging from $150 to $2800 each in exchange for GED certificates between 2012 and 2016, officials said.
Eighteen of 19 GED certificate recipients interviewed by investigators admitted to paying for their GED certificate, officials said.
"The alleged brokering and sale of GED certificates by an organized criminal circle, two of whom were employees of the MDCPS, is a blatant betrayal of trust," State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Those in charge of making sure that educational standards are met to award GED certificates are entrusted with making sure that those receiving certificates have passed the required examination of educational foundation. To cheat the system and put money in their pockets unlawfully while performing their official duties is not only illegal, but has the potential to put our entire community at risk."
Insignares, Bouzan and Avalos face charges including organized scheme to defraud and cheating. Insignares also faces 18 counts of official misconduct. Attorney information wasn't available.
