A former employee of a De Witt County school district has admitted to his role in a fraud scheme in which he purchased computer equipment using a school account and then sold the products to other vendors in his own name.
45-year-old Joshua Raymer pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to a wire fraud charge. He was originally charged earlier this month with defrauding the Blue Ridge school district in Farmer City out of more than $400,000.
Prosecutors say Raymer, a Clinton resident, told school district officials beginning in April 2016 that their computer switches needed to be replaced. They say that Raymer then purchased 200 switches over the following two years and another 28 of which he never paid for, resulting in a loss to one vendor of approximately $100,000. He then arranged purchases with different buyers using his own personal business, collecting the money for himself.
Raymer faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in June. As part of a plea agreement, he agreed to pay restitution to the Blue Ridge school district in the amount of $336,000, $106,000 to a vendor and $17,000 to Special Olympics of Illinois, where he worked after leaving the district.