Charter school supervisor cashed in on uniform fees, spent money on cars and trips, officials say

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB/Gray News) - Four people formerly tied to Impact Charter School in Baker, Louisiana, and the non-profit it shared board members with are now criminally indicted in federal court in Baton Rouge.

Chakesha Scott served as the former chief executive officer of Impact Charter School and the Friends of Impact Charter School, a nonprofit corporation.

A grand jury found enough evidence exists that she funneled the school’s money for personal use through many alleged schemes.

Her husband, Eric Scotts, her daughter, Courtney Scotts, and a contractor named Sam Green of Sam Green and Sons have also been criminally indicted.

According to federal investigators, the other Scotts also benefited from the scheme.

Charges faced

Below are the charges and timeline of the alleged crimes, according to officials:

Conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds

• June 2018 - December 2024: The Scotts and Sam Green are charged with a count of conspiracy to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds between June of 2018 and December of 2024. This is likely a general charge that covers the entirety of the time prosecutors allege Chakesha Scott was taking the school’s money.
• March 2019 - August 2023: Sam Green charged Impact Charter for work he did on one of Chakesha and Eric Scott’s personal properties.
• Summer 2020: Chakesha Scott is accused of moving $458,200 of Impact Charter School’s money into bank accounts controlled by the Friends of Impact Charter School.
• 2020 - May 2024: Chakesha Scott is accused of funneling over $100,000 from Impact Charter School to herself and a family member by overpaying a contractor and having him send the money to her personally between 2020 and May of 2024.
• Sometime after June 2021: Chakesha Scott is accused of providing herself and Courtney Scott with a 2017 Acura MDX and a 2021 Land Rover paid for by money from Impact Charter School. The amount taken for the vehicles was around $166,520, according to court documents.

Theft concerning programs receiving federal funds

• September 2022: Chakesha Scott is accused of using $171,659 in funds from Impact Charter School’s bank account to pay closing costs for a real estate sale Impact Charter School was not a party to.

Theft concerning programs receiving federal funds

• September 2022 - April 2024: Chakesha Scott is accused of diverting $2,080,00 in lease payments to Friends of Impact Charter, resulting in $846,048 in payments in excess of mortgage payments owed by Friends of Impact Charter School.

Theft concerning programs receiving federal funds

• June 2021 - April 2024: Chakesha Scott is accused of buying the two vehicles during this timeframe.

Theft concerning programs receiving federal funds

• July 2022 - June 2023: Chakesha Scott and Eric Scott are accused of taking $114,094 of Impact Charter School’s money to pay for personal travel expenses using the school’s credit cards.

Theft concerning programs receiving federal funds

• October 2018 - February 2024: Chakesha Scott and Eric Scott are accused of taking $292,993 in fees paid by families for uniforms and school activities.

Money Laundering

• May 2023: Chakesha Scott is accused of purchasing a cashier’s check and paying around $42, 371 for a 2018 Tesla. The money came from the school.

About the school

Chakesha Scott founded the small charter school located on Lavey Lane in Baker.

She separated from her responsibilities over the school after a damning state audit first concluded that she had been using school money to pay for personal travel and other personal expenses.

The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) ousted every previous director on the school’s board in the aftermath. BESE then voted to install a state-selected board to manage the school’s affairs.

The school experienced a brief payroll crisis after its bank became confused about whether Scott could authorize transactions tied to the school’s account. The bank froze all access to the accounts temporarily.

A true bill for the federal case was signed and filed with the court Wednesday, July 15, 2026.