Former D.C. Public Schools Official Sentenced to Prison

            WASHINGTON—Dana Garnett, 61, a former contract specialist for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), was sentenced today to 24 months of imprisonment for her role in a bribery and wire fraud conspiracy that illegally steered lucrative DCPS business to local vendors, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Earlier this year, on June 23, 2025, Garnett was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud charges, arising from her role in a bribery and kickback scheme she perpetrated at DCPS. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Amit P. Mehta ordered Garnett to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            According to court documents, Garnett and her co-conspirators defrauded DCPS by falsifying purchase orders and authorizing payments for inflated quantities of goods that were never delivered. In return for approving these fraudulent overpayments, Garnett received kickbacks from local vendors.

            In September 2025, a federal jury found one of those vendors, Yelake Meseretu, guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud arising out of the same criminal scheme. In addition to Meseretu’s conviction, three of Garnett’s co-conspirators—Patricia Bailey, Donald McWhirter, and Duane King—pleaded guilty earlier this year and face sentencing in February 2026.

            According to court documents, over the course of at least five years, Garnett, of Hyattsville, Maryland, accepted illegal payments from several vendors who supplied goods to DCPS. In exchange, Garnett steered business to the vendors. Some of the payments were generated from falsified orders that listed inflated amounts of goods that were never delivered.

            Garnett and her co-conspirator Patricia Bailey, a fellow DCPS employee, coordinated with the vendors to deliver fewer goods than were billed. Based on false certifications made by or with the knowledge of Garnett, DCPS paid the full amount of the purchase orders as if they had been fulfilled in full. The vendors paid cash to Garnett and her co-conspirator in various locations in the D.C. and Maryland area, including parking lots of restaurants in strip malls.               

            This case was investigated by FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher R. Howland and John Borchert of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.

Garnett and Meseretu: 24cr281

Bailey: 23cr336

King: 23cr319

McWhirter: 24cr280