Teachers Union Heads Indicted For Fraud, Stealing More Than $2M From Union

Two teachers union heads in Florida have been indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges, accused of stealing more than $2 million from union members.

The indictment against Terrie Brady, who was president of Duval Teachers United, and Ruby George, who was executive vice president, was unsealed on Monday.

Brady, 69, and George, 81, could face decades in prison if convicted of the charges, which include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud, and three counts of aiding and abetting mail fraud.

The indictment accuses the two women of cheating the union out of more than $1.2 million each between 2013 and 2022, in part by claiming much more unused vacation time than they had. According to the indictment, they tag-teamed on signing each other’s union checks for fraudulent vacation time payments and additional bonus payments.

Brady was also charged with two counts of money laundering for allegedly using nearly $44,000 of the money to pay personal American Express credit card debt.

Then, the women filed false documentation to a union auditor, the indictment claimed.

The bombshell charges come after agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service raided the union’s headquarters in San Marco in September 2023, sparking confusion and speculation. Agents were spotted carrying computers, bags, and boxes of financial documents out of the building.

Brady and George resigned just weeks later after leading the union for 24 years, saying they wanted to spend more time with their families.

Back in 2023, Brady complained about Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis trying to impose new financial transparency requirements on the unions.

“We think we’re pretty transparent in the work that we do,” Brady said.

Terrie Brady, President of the Duval Teachers United union, put in a rare appearance at the DCPS school board meeting to discuss…not receiving dues for 12 days because of the new Florida law making teacher dues opt in and not mandatory. #MomsForLiberty #Florida pic.twitter.com/71OLVS4MSc

— Moms For Liberty – Duval Co., FL (@DuvalMoms) August 2, 2023

DeSantis had accused the unions of being too political and promised better pay for teachers and a cap on the salaries of teachers union officials.

“Having partisan groups basically get special privileges for deductions and all these other stuff, you know, that doesn’t work and so, I think this will be a huge, huge boon for transparency and efficiency in our school system,” DeSantis said at the time.

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Duval Teachers United represents about 13,000 teachers and other school employees in the Jacksonville area. The local union is affiliated with both the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA).

The union brings in about $5 million in revenue a year.

In 2022, Brady received a lifetime achievement award for “a long record of excellent leadership” from the Florida Education Association.

She also chaired the Florida Democratic Party in the 1990s.