School Insiders Pocketed Almost $20 Million Meant for Students
Jorge Contreras and Janis Bucknor drained public school budgets in Orange County and Los Angeles through separate embezzlement schemes.
- Contreras stole $16.7 million from Magnolia School District, sentenced in 2024.
- Bucknor pleaded guilty to stealing over $3 million from a Los Angeles charter school.
- The joint SFOF-Open the Books report, released July 9, 2026, totals $19.7 million stolen.
Why it mattersTwo administrators stole $20 million because nobody audited the budgets meant to educate children.
State Financial Officers Foundation & Open the Books, "Schooled by Schemers" report ↗ · Jul 10, 20267/10/26 · ✓ Checked✓ Check