School bus scam gets former mechanic jail time

JACKSON, Wyo. — A former lead mechanic for a school district here has been convicted of a felony for stealing about $161,000 from the district, and will serve six months in jail and a seven-year probation term, Jackson Hole News & Guide reports.

As previously reported, Anthony Robinson, who worked for the Teton County School District, was initially accused in February of embezzling at least $20,000 from the district. He used a district credit card to buy bus parts, resold them and kept the money, according to the newspaper. An investigation started when one of the companies Robinson bought parts from reported buying a part on eBay and finding that the name in the return address was the same as the contact it had on file for the district.

Robinson admitted that he used a district credit card in his name to buy the unneeded parts and then resold them for his own financial gain for about three years, according to Jackson Hole News & Guide. He was fired shortly after prosecutors filed charges. The district also fired Robinson’s wife, who was a school bus driver for the district.

Judge Timothy Day ruled in a sentencing hearing on Tuesday that Robinson must repay $161,000, according to Jackson Hole News & Guide. If he does not complete his probation or pay the restitution, he may have to serve a five-to-seven-year prison term that Day ordered and suspended in favor of local jail time. The district asked for timely restitution in a written statement that also said that Robinson “did not just steal from one person, he stole from hundreds,” according to the newspaper.

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