Former president, VP of Duval teachers union indicted, accused of stealing more than $2M from union
News 4 Jax | By Aydian Ahmad | January 13, 2025
Teresa Brady, 69, and Ruby George, 81, face maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and must forfeit at least $2.5 million worth of fraudulent funds
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The former president and executive vice president of Duval Teachers United, a union for Duval County education employees, have been indicted and accused of conspiring to steal more than $1.2 million each over nearly 10 years.
According to the Department of Justice, Teresa (Terrie) Brady, 69, and Ruby George, 81, got the money by selling back leave time they had not accrued or earned back to the teachers union between 2013 and 2022.
The indictment said the two withheld the activity from the DTU’s auditors by signing each other’s checks, hid the payments from the DTU’s Secretary/Treasurer, and withheld the funds from Florida’s Public Employee Relations Committee (PERC) in required yearly financial statements.
Longtime Duval Teachers United President Terrie Brady has retired.
PERC is responsible for public labor unions in Florida.
Brady allegedly used money obtained from the fraud to pay off more than $10,000 of credit card debt.
On Monday, US Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the unsealing of an indictment that accuses Brady and George of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, eight counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud, and three counts of aiding and abetting mail fraud.
Brady is also accused of two counts of money laundering.
George and Brady each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count, while Brady faces a maximum penalty of 10 years on each count of money laundering.
“The indictment notifies Brady and George that the United States intends to recover at least $2,600,235.99, which are alleged to be proceeds obtained from the fraud,” the DOJ said.
Duval Teachers United (DTU) is a labor union that represents Duval County Public Schools teachers, paraprofessionals, and office personnel. The union has about 6,500 members and represents about 80% of eligible DCPS employees.
The union’s annual revenue is about $5 million, which is made up of due fees paid by members.
On Sept. 6, 2023, the FBI raided the DTU building in San Marco and told News4JAX that it served a search warrant at the office, but did not release any information about the investigation.
According to the Florida Times-Union, the raid involved the “potential misappropriation of funds.”
Both Brady and George retired shortly after the raid.
Brady served as the president of the teacher union for over 20 years. Brady is a former member of the Democratic National Committee and leader of the Florida and Duval County Democratic Party. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Brady presided over statewide victories for the Democrats in Lawton Chiles’ re-election in the 1994 governor’s race and President Clinton’s Florida victory in 1996, the first victory for a Democratic presidential candidate in Florida in 20 years. She stepped down from her role as Chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party in 1998 to focus on her role in DTU, the Times reported.
DTU sent a long statement addressing the indictments and the safeguards that have since been put in place:
“This will never happen again! Over a year ago, DTU was made aware that the FBI and IRS were investigating former President Terrie Brady and former Vice President Ruby George related to misappropriation of funds. Neither the Duval Teachers United organization nor any current employees were subjects of the investigation which was conducted. The new leadership has been cooperating fully with law enforcement to support a full and thorough investigation. DTU will pursue all legal channels to recoup lost funds and hold those responsible accountable. We want to be clear: members and current leadership of DTU and affiliated unions do not tolerate the undermining of our members or the misuse of valuable membership dollars. The Board of Directors elected new leadership in the Fall of 2023: Tammie Brooks-Evans, President; Jessica Reyst, Vice-President; Melisa James, Secretary/Treasurer for Duval Teachers United. Under the new leadership of Tammie, Jessica, and Melisa, the Board of Directors have taken several steps to ensure the safeguarding of member investment in their union.
We have put in place new best practice systems that create additional checks and balances while also auditing the prior leadership’s accounting.
• These measures have included hiring an independent outside bookkeeper.
• Staff and leadership reimbursements must be submitted and approved by President, Vice President, Secretary Treasurer and outside accountant before payments are processed.
• The selling of leave days must first be approved by the Board of Directors.
• Initiating a forensic audit and ensuring that the continuing financial obligations are put in front of the DTU board of directors for review and approval prior to implementation.
• The Board of Directors has received training to empower it in their role as the governing body of DTU. Board members have formed specialty committees that oversee the critical functions of DTU operations, so transparency and accountability are always a part of our culture moving forward.
The organization of DTU and its new leadership are committed to their role as good stewards of the membership dollars that are entrusted to the professional organization. DTU believes that ensuring all employees have the best working conditions, resources, and compensation translates to a world-class education for our students. Recruiting and retaining high quality education professionals will ensure that Duval County’s future remains bright. DTU is in a better position than ever to ensure that every Duval County student has access to a quality public education and an educational community that cares deeply about their success.”
