School money scam. News from Cjonline

USD 501 Check Scam -- Whose fault?

A D V E R T I S E M E N T
By The Capital-Journal editorial board
Remember that $515,000 that Topeka Unified School District 501 lost to an international check fraud operation?

Fortunately, the school district hasn't forgotten it. It is still trying to recover as much of it as it can from those they believe have some responsibility for the loss.

The school district is suing US Bank, alleging that the bank should have noticed the discrepancies in checks cashed by the scammers and put a stop to it.

On Friday, the bank asked Shawnee County District Court Judge Franklin Theis to dismiss the school district's case or issue a summary judgment.

Theis listened to oral arguments for 90 minutes, then told attorneys not to expect a ruling until the first of next year.

That means the issue is still alive, for now, and gives USD 501 taxpayers some hope that at least some of the money might be recovered.

Not that we're prejudging the case and assuming the bank was at fault. But it will be nice to know how much of the fault should be assigned to whom, and getting the tax relief will be nice if the school district is right.