Prison terms possible for four in scam
By Steve Herring
Published in News on September 5, 2012 1:46 PM
The four people who have pleaded guilty in a bid-rigging scheme involving the Wayne County Public Schools could receive prison terms ranging from just over three years to up to 10 years.
Pamela Carol Turner, 45, of Selma, owner of All American Roofing and Construction; David Lee Tedder, 50, of Selma, company employee; and former school employees Danny Lee Langley, 54, of Snow Hill; and Earl Wayne Rhodes, 58, of Pikeville, are scheduled for sentencing Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in U.S. Federal District Court in New Bern.
Ms. Turner could receive 41 to 51 months; Tedder, 60 months; Rhodes, 60 months; and Langley, 120 months.
However, those numbers would be lower or higher depending on motions and arguments made at Thursday's hearing, said Don Connelly, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney's Eastern North Carolina District Office.
According to court documents, between 2002 and 2009, Langley, the school system's former director of maintenance, and Rhodes, the former assistant director, would provide Ms. Turner's company with the price it needed to bid to win school contracts.
After the school system had paid the company, it allegedly then paid a cash percentage to Langley and Rhodes.
Ms. Turner was charged on July 20, 2010, and pleaded guilty Sept. 14, 2011, to structuring transactions to evade a reporting requirement.
Tedder was charged on April 1, 2011, and pleaded guilty on June 14, 2011, to conspiring to commit bribery concerning local programs receiving federal funds.
In December, Langley pleaded guilty to bribery and Rhodes pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bribery.