North Carolina school director charged with plotting to steal $700K in student aid to help fund religious leader's ranch

IN A FEW MINUTE. MEREDITH: THANK YOU. WE ARE UNDER PHASE TWO IN REOPENING IN NORTH CAROLINA. PLACES OF WORSHIP ARE ALLOWED TO HOLD INDOOR SERVICE. THIS IS JUST THE SECOND WEEK CHURCHES CAN DO THAT AFTER A LAWSUIT WAS FILED AGAINST THE GOVERNOR. IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO TO CHURCH THIS MORNING, YOU SHOULD KNOW SOME RESTRICTIONS WILL STILL BE IN PLACE. CHURCHES ARE ASKED TO LIMIT CAPACITY, ALLOW FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND ENOURAGE PEOPLE TO WEAR MASK YES, EVEN INSIDE. THE CDC HAS RELEASED NEW GUIDELINES ON HOW PLACES OF WORSHIP CAN SAFELY OPEN AFTER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAID ALL CHURCHES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO REOPEN. THE CDC RECOMMENDS SERVICES PROVIDE HAND SANITIZER, ENCOURAGE FACE COVERINGS, INCREASE CLEANING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING. THE CDC SAYS THE FINAL DECISIONS SHOULD BE LEFT UP TO RELIGIOUS LEADERS. LOOKING AHEAD, THE CITY OF GREENSBORO PLANS TO RETURN TO REGULAR OPERATING HOURS IN A LITTLE MORE THAN TWO WEEKS. THE OFFICIAL START DATE IS JUNE 8. CITY MANAGER DAVID PARRISH SAYS THERE WILL BE SHIELDS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING SIGNS AT CUSTOMER SERVICE AREAS. LIBRARIES AND RECREATION CENTERS WILL FOLLOW A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE. PEOPLE ARE STILL ENCOURAGED TO HANDLE CITY BUSINESS BY PHONE, EMAIL OR THROUGH THE POSTAL SERVICE WHEN POSSIBLE. STAYING IN THE GATE, — IN THE GATE CITY, RESTAURANTS CAN APPLY FOR PERMITS TO EXTEND THEIR SPACES TO HAVE MORE OUTDOOR DINING OPPORTUNITIES. IT’S PART OF THE CITY’S INITIATIVE TO GIVE THOSE RESTAURANTS MORE CUSTOMERS TO COME IN WHILE KEEPING THEM SIX FEET AWAY FROM EACH OTHER. RESTAURANTS CAN APPLY TO EXTEND THEIR SPACE INTO THE NEIGHBORING SIDEWALK, PARKING SPACES, OR THE ROAD. THIS WOULD ONLY BE ALLOWED IN SLOW-SPEED AREAS, LIKE DOWNTOWN. >> IF WE GET TO WHERE WE WOULD DO A LARGER STREET CLOSURE AND YOU CALL IT MAY BE A BLOCK PARTY, BUT ALL THAT REALLY MIGHT BE IS ALLOWING SEATING IN THE STREET, BUT ADDING ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL ELEMENTS. MAYBE WE ADD LIVE MUSIC AND ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME DOWN. MEREDITH: THE APPLICATION FOR THE EXPANSION IS ON OUR WEBSITE. INCLUDING A FAX — FACTS AND QUESTION SHEET. YOU CAN CHECK IT OUT NOW THIS MORNING AT WXII12.COM. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAYS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS THE NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS CASES IN NORTH CAROLINA HAS SEEN THE LARGEST INCREASE SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN. BETWEEN FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, MORE THAN 1000 NEW CASES WERE REPORTED IN OUR STATE. THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INFECTED PEOPLE IN OUR STATE TO NEARLY 23,000. SINCE YESTERDAY, THE NUMBER OF CASES IN THE PIEDMONT TRIAD HAS GONE UP BY NEARLY 150. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES IS NOW MORE THAN 4,000. THOMASVILLE CITY SCHOOLS SAYS A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR ATTENDED A GRADUATION EVENT SOON AFTER GETTING TESTED FOR COVID-19. BEFORE THE TEST RESULTS CAME BACK. HE ENDED UP TESTING POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS. THE SCHOOL SAYS THAT STUDENT WENT TO AN EVENT WHERE SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS WERE FILMED WALKING ACROSS A STAGE TO GET A DIPLOMA. THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS THE FACULTY WERE WEARING MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING. RIGHT NOW, ONLY SMALL GROUPS OF STAFF ARE ALLOWED BA

North Carolina school director charged with plotting to steal $700K in student aid

Updated: 5:42 PM EDT May 24, 2020

A school director has been charged with plotting to steal approximately $700,000 in student financial aid to help fund a religious leader’s North Carolina ranch.Brenda Joyce Hall, 51, made her initial court appearance on Thursday to face federal charges including aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit student loan fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.Click the video player above for headlines from WXII 12 News.The News & Observer reported that Hall’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. Hall and others resided at a place in Cumberland County called “The Ranch,” which a tent revival preacher owned and operated, prosecutors said in a news release. Hall operated a home school known as “Halls of Knowledge” from the property.An indictment says Hall used fabricated high school transcripts to fraudulently acquire hundreds of thousands of dollars in student aid and used the money to fund the operations of the ranch and make other purchases.The scheme went undetected for several years because Hall and others fraudulently attended and completed online courses, prosecutors said.

RALEIGH, N.C. —

A school director has been charged with plotting to steal approximately $700,000 in student financial aid to help fund a religious leader’s North Carolina ranch.

Brenda Joyce Hall, 51, made her initial court appearance on Thursday to face federal charges including aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit student loan fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Click the video player above for headlines from WXII 12 News.

The News & Observer reported that Hall’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

Hall and others resided at a place in Cumberland County called “The Ranch,” which a tent revival preacher owned and operated, prosecutors said in a news release. Hall operated a home school known as “Halls of Knowledge” from the property.

An indictment says Hall used fabricated high school transcripts to fraudulently acquire hundreds of thousands of dollars in student aid and used the money to fund the operations of the ranch and make other purchases.

The scheme went undetected for several years because Hall and others fraudulently attended and completed online courses, prosecutors said.