MPS bank impersonation scam, district CFO status unclear
MPS bank impersonation scam, district CFO status unclear
Milwaukee Public Schools lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scam. And now there are questions about what happened to the district’s chief financial officer.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Public Schools lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in a scam. And now there are questions about what happened to the district’s chief financial officer.
Bank scam
The backstory:
The district initially lost $450,000 to a bank impersonation scam. MPS says it recovered more than half of that money but is still trying to get back the remaining $195,000.
The superintendent says they learned of the bank fraud Monday, and then appointed an acting CFO on Tuesday, the district’s deputy CFO Jennifer Buros.
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MPS bank impersonation scam, oversight gaps identified years ago
A bank impersonation scam resulting in a $450,000 loss for Milwaukee Public Schools raises new questions about financial safeguards with the district.
Where is the CFO?
What To Know:
FOX6 asked where the chief financial officer is.
"I don't know where she is right now," MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius responded.
FOX6 asked if she was still with the district.
"She is still with the district. We're finishing our investigation, and then we'll make determinations," Cassellius said.
Another reporter asked if she is on leave.
"She's currently not with the district, and we are looking and finishing our investigation right now," Cassellius said.
FOX6 then asked if the bank fraud was somehow linked with the CFO’s office.
"I can't speak to personnel matters, as you know, but once that's finished, we will make sure that we are transparent in that process and give everybody information about the investigation, what we found and what new controls we are putting in place," Cassellius said.
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Aycha Sawa had served as CFO since September 2024. She was brought in to help fix money mismanagement issues.
FOX6 News investigators obtained Sawa's personnel file. It shows last year the superintendent gave Sawa a notice of concern. MPS says she is still employed with the district. She did not return a call from FOX6.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Jason Calvi and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, Milwaukee Public Schools, Aycha Sawa's personnel file and FOX6 News.