A 62-year-old Phoenix man was detained on Thursday by federal authorities who claim he was a key figure in an elaborate $8 million public school fraud and kickback scam that reportedly routed millions of taxpayer dollars into fancy vehicles and a big Miami mansion.
Federal prosecutors allege that Phoenix resident Jonathan Larry Ballew worked with former Ohio school director Leondo Ramone Davenport to divert public education funds from Dohn Community High School. According to a federal indictment unsealed in Cincinnati, the duo ran a multi-year false billing scheme, dividing more than $4 million in kickbacks to fund luxurious personal lifestyles.
Ballew and Davenport, both 50, were hauled into federal custody on September 3 and charged with wire fraud and engaging in monetary transactions generated from illicit activities. If convicted, the wire fraud charges have a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison, while the illegal transaction counts carry a maximum of 10 years apiece.
According to federal authorities, Ballew formed at least four separate shell firms that claimed to provide educational services, technology, staffing, and renovation work to the school. Between 2021 and 2024, Ballew reportedly filed millions of dollars in bogus bills from Arizona for work that was never completed in Ohio.
According to federal lawsuit filings, Davenport approved the fake billings while serving as superintendent of the Cincinnati-based public community school from 2015 to 2019 and then operating it through a private LLC until 2024. Prosecutors claim Davenport authorized over $8 million in payments to Ballew’s organizations, with Ballew returning more than $4 million directly to Davenport’s wallets.
According to federal officials, the stolen monies were used to pay for high-end luxury autos and expensive real estate rentals, including a $30,000 monthly lease on a luxury holiday property near Miami, Florida, in October 2023.
Dohn Community High School started in 2001 and initially operated as an independent public alternative school dedicated to assisting youngsters in drug treatment, but persistent fraud depleted the charter school’s funds. The school was closed in March 2025 after former officials claimed to have 1,600 pupils in order to receive more government funds, despite the fact that the institution only had about 600 students.
Federal and state law enforcement agencies condemned the defendants for abusing positions of trust and benefiting from resources intended for vulnerable teenagers. “This indictment alleges a brazen scheme that stole from both taxpayers and students,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s newly formed National Fraud Enforcement Division, which was established in April. “Education dollars exist to support the learning and development of American children — not to fund the lifestyles of unscrupulous school officials.”