Tulsa school fraud case grows as AG and DA charge former TPS executive and two others
Prosecutors allege a scheme involving more than $779,000 in voter-approved Tulsa Public Schools bond money, paid for bogus roof engineering work.
On June 4, 2026, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler announced criminal charges involving a former Tulsa Public Schools executive and two other defendants. Prosecutors allege a scheme that misused more than $779,000 in voter-approved TPS capital improvement bond funds through bogus roof-related work.
The charges were filed in Tulsa County District Court and include 27 counts of conspiracy, embezzlement and kickbacks. Prosecutors say the defendants’ conduct involved roofing projects where work wasn’t performed, along with related payments that prosecutors characterize as bogus.
Who is charged in the Tulsa Public Schools bond-funds case
According to the charging announcement and the court filing, prosecutors accuse:
- Charles Christopher “Chris” Hudgins, formerly executive director of bond and emergency management at TPS
- Gayle Dean Gwinup
- Thomas Edward McKenna
What prosecutors allege happened
At the press conference, Drummond said Hudgins allegedly directed Tulsa schools to pay Allied Engineering Group (AEG) more than $779,000 for roofing projects where, prosecutors allege, no work was performed.
Prosecutors also allege AEG paid more than $736,000 to M&G Consulting, an architecture consulting firm owned by Hudgins, for bogus work. Prosecutors further allege the payments were taken from TPS’ 2021 bond package.
According to the court filing, the alleged work involved roof-related projects at multiple TPS campuses, including Unity Learning Academy and Mark Twain Elementary School.
Prosecutors also allege McKenna used a separate company, Starr Design Group Inc., to continue the alleged scheme at additional TPS locations.
Why voter-approved bond money is central to the case
Capital improvement bond funds are intended to support long-term school facility repairs and upgrades. In their announcement, prosecutors framed the alleged scheme as a misuse of taxpayer dollars voters approved to improve TPS buildings.
Connection to state oversight and TPS’s stated response
Prosecutors said the charges emerged in part from an ongoing forensic audit of Tulsa Public Schools by State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, which the AG’s office said is expected to be released in July.
Public reporting tied the case to that audit process and described an oversight failure the audit allegedly identified (including that the district “routinely” failed to properly oversee funds, according to the reporting). Public Radio Tulsa also reported that TPS Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson said the matter stems from past misconduct referred to law enforcement by district staff and that TPS implemented “significant safeguards and operational changes” since discovery of the misconduct.
What happens next—and what residents should watch
These charges are allegations, not findings. The AG’s office said those charged are presumed innocent unless and until convicted in court.
For parents and taxpayers, the practical questions will be answered as the case moves through court: what evidence prosecutors plan to present, how the alleged contract activity is explained, and what the audit and related oversight changes show about where controls broke down—and how TPS now plans to prevent similar issues.
Sources
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