Man pleads guilty to defrauding school internet program

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Tennessee say a Kentucky man has pleaded guilty to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme targeting a federal program that gives money to rural schools for internet access. The U.S. attorney’s office in Memphis says Charles A. “Chuck” Jones has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors said Jones targeted schools in Missouri and Tennessee that benefited from the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate Program, which provides money to schools for internet and telecommunications services. Jones paid kickbacks to an E-Rate consultant working with the schools involved in the case. The loss to the E-Rate program was about $6.9 million dollars.