DOVER, Del. (AP) - A federal court has dismissed an appeal from a former Delaware school administrator sentenced to 18 months in prison for embezzlement.
A three-judge appeals court panel ruled Wednesday that in pleading guilty to three counts of federal program theft, Sean Moore waived his right to appeal except in the case of ineffective assistance of counsel or certain other circumstances. The panel said none of those exceptions exist.
More specifically, the court said there was no allegation that Moore’s attorney was ineffective, and that Moore’s sentence did not exceed the legal maximum or the applicable guidelines. Moore argued that he should have been sentenced to home confinement.
Moore served as the director of finance and operations for the Family Foundations Academy, a charter school in New Castle.
Authorities say he misappropriated more than $160,000 of school funds for his personal use from 2011 to 2015.
Moore’s actions included opening an unauthorized credit card in the school’s name, buying iPads with school funds and selling them for cash, and skimming from school fundraising accounts, authorities said. They said he used the money he stole for a variety of personal reasons, including travel, entertainment, electronics and jewelry.
Moore claimed that a “severe level of sexual addiction and shopping addiction” contributed to his behavior.
Moore and the school’s founder and chief academic officer, Tennell Brewington, were fired in 2015 after an audit found repeated personal use of school credit cards.
Brewington pleaded guilty to state charges of theft and official misconduct and was sentenced to one year of probation.
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