Woman sentenced for stealing from S. Carolina charter school

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A former Lee County charter school director has been sentenced to federal prison for stealing more than $1.5 million intended to help educate low-income children.

The State newspaper reports (http://bit.ly/1hG3KEo ) a federal judge Tuesday sentenced 40-year-old Benita Dinkins-Robinson to three and a half years in prison.

Dinkins-Robinson was found guilty in March of embezzling money from the U.S. Department of Education and various U.S. Department of Agriculture food and nutrition programs.

Over five years, federal authorities say she siphoned money off the more than $5 million in state and federal funds that flowed into the Mary L. Dinkins Charter school, funneling it into a network of shell corporations.

Authorities say Dinkins-Robinson refused FBI requests for invoices showing how she spent money, telling them her companies were private businesses.

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Information from: The State, http://www.thestate.com