Ex-schools honcho accused of fraudulently steering $900,000 contract

A GRAND JURY has recommended charging a former Philadelphia School District manager with steering a $900,000 contract to benefit her family and friends, the District Attorney's Office announced yesterday.

Priscilla Wright, 50, who was the district's manager of small-business development in its Office of Capital Programs, is being charged with conflict of interest and perjury. She resigned Jan. 20 from her $62,169-a-year job.

In March 2013, the district was in the process of closing 23 schools when it issued a request for bids to find vendors to move school property to other locations, the D.A.'s office said.

According to the D.A.'s news release and spokesman Cameron Kline, shortly before the bid deadline in 2013, Wright called Sam and Serena Murphy, the husband-and-wife owners of a transportation company, and encouraged them to apply. Wright knew the Murphys from previous bid work.

"They were basically the owners of the company Ms. Wright used as a shell," Kline said.

Wright's family members were placed in positions of profit and control in the company, the D.A.'s office said, with some placed into a profit-share agreement and others in administrative functions.

Wright, for example, forced out the Murphys' accountant and replaced him with her sister, Veronica Wright, the D.A.'s office said.

"Ms. Wright and her family are a perfect example of why we need to never stop reviewing and overseeing how the public's money is spent, because once we remove the checks and balances, the fox all too often raids the henhouse," D.A. Seth Williams said in the news release.

Also allegedly benefiting from the alleged scheme were: Wright's son, John Nelson Brown; another sister, Laverne Rodney; daughter Brittany Davis; nephew Gregory Wright; and Wright's business acquaintances Kia Steave and Angel Hackney.

The D.A.'s office also contends that Priscilla Wright lied before the grand jury, denying that she took part in the project.

Wright surrendered at the D.A.'s office yesterday, according to her attorney, Brian McMonagle, who declined to comment.

Asked whether more people would be charged, Kline said, "This is an ongoing grand-jury investigation and we expect there will be additional information soon."

Fernando Gallard, a school district spokesman, said he had no comment, citing the ongoing investigation. He said Wright began working for the district in August 2003.