The state attorney general’s office has indicted the former executive director of Tucson charter school Academy del Sol, alleging he spent school funds on a number of personal luxuries.
Jason Riegert is charged with 22 felony counts of theft, forgery, conspiracy, computer tampering, fraudulent schemes and artifices, illegally conducting an enterprise and misappropriation of charter school funds.
His wife, Staci Barton, and the school’s former office administrator, Kimberly Richards, have also been charged for offenses allegedly committed between 2018 and 2024.
Pima County Superior Court documents show Riegert and Barton are accused of stealing at least $100,000 from Academy del Sol and spending it at casinos. The state alleges that Richards misrepresented those transactions as landscaping, cleaning and technology expenses.
The three are also accused of spending school funds on the purchase of a car, jewelry, food, multiple trips, home renovations and plastic surgery.
The state charged Riegert and Richards with computer tampering, alleging they accessed, altered, damaged or destroyed technology in order to carry out their scheme.
Last year, almost 700 students attended Academy del Sol’s two Tucson campuses, according to enrollment data from the Arizona Department of Education. The school is tuition free and funded by the state on a per-pupil basis.
Some charter schools in Arizona also receive donations or grant money. The state funds charter schools at a higher rate than district schools since charters don’t collect money from property taxes.
Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office says Riegert was indicted at the end of July. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Ashton is prosecuting Riegert, Barton and Richards.
