Former NYC Education Official Sentenced for Corruption & Bid Rigging

A former New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) business manager has been sentenced to prison for his role in a corruption scheme that rigged bids and defrauded dozens of public schools.

Victor A Garrido, the owner of TranscendBS LLC, received a six-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to manipulating the school procurement system between 2020 and 2023. His fraudulent activities targeted around 28 schools, primarily in disadvantaged communities, where he secured at least 707,555 dollars in contracts through rigged bids. This resulted in financial losses of more than 141,000 dollars to the NYC DOE.

As part of his sentencing, Garrido and TranscendBS LLC must pay 141,511 dollars in restitution to the NYC DOE. He was also ordered to repay 23,100 dollars to the New York State Department of Labor for fraudulently claiming pandemic unemployment benefits. In addition, Garrido failed to file or pay federal and state income taxes for multiple years, further underlining the scale of his corruption.

Law enforcement leaders condemned Garrido’s conduct, emphasising its impact on both taxpayers and students. The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, the FBI, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the NYC School District worked together to bring the case to justice.

Authorities highlighted that this type of bid rigging undermines public trust, weakens competition, and diverts essential resources away from education. They warned that corruption in public procurement will continue to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.

This case underscores the dangers of corruption in education funding, where fraudulent contracts not only breach the law but also deny children the resources they need to thrive.

Read the press release here.