PHOENIX, AZ – A Colorado couple has been sentenced for defrauding Arizona’s education voucher program by inventing dozens of fictitious children. Johnny Bowers and Ashley Hopkins orchestrated a scheme that siphoned over $110,000 from the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, intended to support Arizona families educating their children at home or in private schools.
The couple, who resided outside Arizona, managed to enroll several real and 43 fake children in the program. Their fraudulent activities went undetected for 17 months before the Department of Education uncovered the scam. On Friday, both appeared separately in Maricopa County Superior Court to face justice.
Bowers, expressing remorse, was sentenced to 2.15 years in prison. His wife, Hopkins, also apologized and received a sentence of 14 days in county jail, to be served in December. The judge expressed confusion over the disparity in sentencing, questioning the rationale behind Hopkins’ probation plea deal.
The case is part of a broader investigation led by Attorney General Chris May into financial fraud within the ESA program. Earlier this month, a Florida resident was charged with similar fraudulent activities, and a former ESA employee began serving a sentence for her role in a $600,000 scheme involving both real and fictitious children.
A recent investigation revealed misuse of ESA funds by parents purchasing luxury items, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities within the program. Despite these issues, the Department of Education continues to automatically approve requests up to $2,000, with plans for future audits.
The ESA program is projected to cost taxpayers $1 billion this school year, supporting approximately 96,000 children. Superintendent Tom Horn has announced intentions to scrutinize these expenditures more closely.
The fraudulent activities persisted for nearly a year and a half before auditors and investigators uncovered the scheme. The lengthy duration of the fraud raised questions about the oversight of the program, which has been a target for scams and misuse.