by Reagan Reese
The former president of a Virginia teachers union was arrested and charged with embezzlement from the organization on Monday, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
Ingrid Gant, former president of the Arlington Education Association (AEA), was arrested after police conducted a six-month audit that showed she embezzled $410,782.10 from the union, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Gant was charged with four counts of embezzlement and allegedly used debit cards for unauthorized purchases and gave herself multiple bonuses.
“AEA is pursuing all legal channels to recoup any lost funds and hold those responsible accountable,” the union told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Under its new leadership, AEA has already implemented stronger financial controls and transparent reporting practices to ensure sound operation. As a result of these changes, AEA is in a better position to ensure that every Arlington student has access to a quality public school, regardless of where they live, their family income, or the color of their skin.”
Gant was fired from the union in March 2022 after she failed to provide tax returns and financial reports to boardmembers, according to WRIC News.
Before being fired, Grant addressed a letter to the superintendent of Arlington Public Schools regarding the spread of COVID-19, the New York Post reported. Grant called indoor lunch at school a “super-spreader” and said as Omicron cases increase, teachers will be making the “ultimate sacrifice.”
After an Arlington parent shared a copy-edited version of the letter, it went viral on Twitter in June 2021, according to the New York Post. The parent who shared the letter noted that the president made 20 grammar mistakes.
In January, a former teachers union treasurer in Pennsylvania was charged with embezzling more than $400,000 over the past eight years, according to the Reading Eagle. Detectives determined that the treasurer was withdrawing money from the union’s bank accounts and putting the money in her own.
The Fairfax County Police Department did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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Reagan Reese is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
