Wickenburg school official accused of fraud after getting free dirt from district property

Wickenburg school official accused of fraud

WICKENBURG, Ariz. - The former operations director for Wickenburg Unified School District may have dug himself into a hole because of the misuse of dirt.

William Moran, who is now being accused of financial misconduct, was awarded a contract to a vendor who he had an undisclosed conflict of interest with, according to the Arizona Auditor General.

The district had dirt excavated back in 2017.

The auditor's report says an engineering firm told Moran it could be used to flatten slopes in other areas of the property.

Instead, Moran allegedly had it delivered to his personal property, which was later used to develop the lot for a home build. That property was later sold for $445,000.

Moran has been indicted on four felony counts, including fraudulent schemes, conflict of interest and forgery.