Former Broward schools official arrested after grand jury probe

David Goodhue

State police arrested a former high-ranking Broward County public school system official Tuesday after a grand jury indicted him on charges he steered a lucrative classroom technology contract to a friend’s business without seeking other bids.

Anthony Hunter, 60, turned himself in to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday morning and was released on $50,000 bond that night.

His attorney Eric Schwartzreich said Wednesday that Hunter is innocent.

“Mr. Hunter did not engage in any unethical or criminal behavior. He is innocent of any wrongdoing, and he looks forward to his day in court to clear his name,” Schwartzreich said.

The grand jury indicted him on one count of unlawful compensation and one count of bid tampering — both second-degree felonies.

Investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Investigative Services say that between 2015 and 2019, Hunter, while working as the school board’s chief information officer, directed the purchase of thousands of Recordex interactive TVs for the school system from a Georgia company owned by his friend.

In all, the purchases cost the district $17 million. The equipment was bought from a company called Educational Consultants, Inc, or EDCO, according to a press release from Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office.

EDCO was owned by a man named David Allen, who investigators say was Hunter’s friend. Allen, 70, died this month of a COVID-19-related illness, according to his obituary.

Investigators say Hunter made the deal with EDCO without allowing other companies to bid on the contract.

Hunter’s relationship with Allen and the purchase of the Recordex equipment from EDCO was first reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. According to the paper, Hunter resigned from the district in January 2019.

Broward County Public School’s issued a statement Wednesday night saying Superintendent Robert Runcie contacted the district’s internal auditor immediately after questions arose about the EDCO deal last April, and the auditor hired an outside firm to perform an external review.

“The District provided the results of that review to the Broward County State Attorney. The external review clarified that the District substantially followed procedures and also paid market value for what was received,” the statement reads. “Moving forward the District has improved and strengthened existing procedures.”

The district was not immediately available for a follow-up question on why the EDCO purchases were not flagged earlier.

According to the Attorney General’s press release, Hunter and Allen engaged in other questionable business dealings outside of the TV sales to the school district.

For instance, Hunter bought a lakefront home from Allen in Georgia for $150,000 below market value, investigators say.

Also, while dealing with Allen’s company, Allen hired Hunter’s son to work at one his companies, according to the press release. He then hired Hunter to work for him at the same company, where Allen is a vice president.

“This unconscionable breach of trust by a public servant hurt taxpayers and undermined the integrity of his position,” Troy Walker, FDLE’s Miami Regional Operations Center special agent in charge, said in a statement. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our agents and analysts and our federal and state partners on this case, this arrest and indictment shows that backdoor dealings by public servants will not be tolerated in Florida.”

Latest Stories

  • Democrats in Georgia ‘outworked, out-strategized and obviously outperformed’ GOP in Senate runoffs, Kemp’s deputy admits

    On the same day that rioters supporting President Trump stormed and vandalized the U.S. Capitol, history was also made in Georgia, where Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, the two Democrats on the Georgia Senate runoff ballot, defeated the Republican incumbents. One week after Democrats pulled off their improbable feat, Georgians reflected on the impact of the historic win.

  • Trump supporter dead in suspected suicide days after being arrested at Capitol riot

    An Atlanta medical examiner has confirmed the death, which followed the man’s arrest last week

  • Hundreds of National Guard troops quarter in Capitol hallways, in 5 astonishing photos

    Reporters shared photographs of an extraordinary sight Wednesday morning as they arrived at the United States Capitol ahead of the House impeachment vote. The shots show hundreds of armed National Guard troops getting some rest in the hallways of the building.The jolting images provide a dose of reality about how tense the situation in Washington is at the moment, a week after the deadly Capitol riot, especially when coupled with harrowing revelations from lawmakers about the incident.> I spotted the National Guard sleeping in the hallways of the Capitol as I walked in this morning. pic.twitter.com/PzVpQCo5yU> > -- Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) January 13, 2021> Just walked into the Capitol to find literally hundreds of troops napping and lining up in the Congressional Visitor Center-- as streets around here are largely blocked.> > Many are cuddling their firearms, fatigues over their heads to block light, and riot gear in neat piles. pic.twitter.com/vCHAOGMdfA> > -- Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) January 13, 2021> A model of the statue of Freedom overlooks scores of U.S. troops deployed to the Capitol to protect Congress as the House prepares to impeach President Trump a 2nd time, on Jan. 13, 2021. pic.twitter.com/gwfdE3qeXB> > -- Lindsay Wise (@lindsaywise) January 13, 2021The scene drew historical comparisons to when Union soldiers were quartered in the Capitol during the Civil War. Check out more photos here and here. > Troops in the rotunda, during the Civil War and now. (Photo via @lindsaywise) pic.twitter.com/6T3OTi694y> > -- Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) January 13, 2021More stories from theweek.com Do Democrats realize the danger they are in? America's rendezvous with reality What 'Blue Lives Matter' was always about

  • The 7 Best Airbnbs in Seattle

    Come home from a day of exploration to a charming forest-clad cabin or a chic art-filled loft—the choice is yours Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Demoted? Pushed aside? Fate of Kim Jong Un's sister unclear

    What has happened to Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s influential sister? Rumors that Kim Yo Jong is her brother’s heir apparent could be dangerous because they "raise the issue of Kim’s hold on power and health inside North Korea," said Oh Gyeong-seob, an analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification. This, he said, is why Kim Jong Un is slowing down her rise in power.

  • Germany will have COVID curbs beyond January - health minister

    Germany will not be able to lift all coronavirus lockdown curbs at the beginning of February, Health Minister Jens Spahn said, stressing the need to further reduce contacts to fend off a more virulent variant of the virus. The German cabinet on Wednesday approved stricter controls on people entering the country after a national lockdown was last week tightened and extended to the end of January. "One thing is already evident: It will not be possible to loosen all restrictions on Feb. 1," Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio on Wednesday, adding it would take another two or three months for the effects of a vaccination campaign to kick in.

  • McConnell Reportedly Pleased about Impeachment, Wants to Purge Trump from GOP

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly pleased about efforts by Democrats to impeach President Trump a second time, saying he believes the move will make it easier for Republicans to purge Trump from the party.McConnell has said that he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and has indicated that he wants to see the specific article of impeachment being put forth by House Democrats, the New York Times reported.House Democrats filed an article of impeachment against Trump on Monday, charging him with "incitement of insurrection" for his rhetoric before and during the deadly riot at the Capitol last week when Trump supporters broke past security and forced their way into the halls of Congress.The House is scheduled to vote Wednesday on impeachment. Two Republican House members, Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, have already announced they will support impeachment. The White House expects up to a dozen more Republicans to defect as well.Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has reportedly asked fellow Republicans if he should ask Trump to resign in the wake of the violence. McCarthy has indicated that he would support a censure of the president over the riot and has meanwhile decided not to urge his fellow Republicans to vote against impeachment, despite the California congressman's personal opposition to it.The violence at the Capitol on January 6 ended with five dead and prompted bipartisan condemnation of Trump's exhortations to his supporters at the rally in front of the White House earlier in the day.“I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard,” the president told his supporters at the rally, but he warned, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”On Tuesday, Trump denied responsibility for inciting the violence.“They’ve analyzed my speech and my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence. And everybody to the tee thought it was totally appropriate,” the president told reporters.

  • Panic buttons were inexplicably torn out ahead of Capitol riots, says Ayanna Pressley chief of staff

    Congresswoman’s chief of staff says she was ‘deeply concerned’ by ‘Trump’s aims to incite violence’

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she had a 'close encounter' during the Capitol riot and 'thought I was going to die'

    Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is speaking out about her "traumatizing" experience at the Capitol building during last week's deadly pro-Trump riot, revealing a "very close encounter" made her fear for her life.The New York lawmaker spoke on Instagram about what she described as a "traumatizing week for so many people" after a mob of President Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol building in a riot that left five people dead. She referenced a "close encounter" she had during the riot, one she said she couldn't provide further details on for security reasons."I had a pretty traumatizing event happen to me," she said. "And I do not know if I can even disclose the full details of that event due to security concerns, but I can tell you that I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die. ... I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive. And not just in a general sense, but also in a very, very specific sense."Ocasio-Cortez told viewers that it "is not an exaggeration to say that many, many members of the House were nearly assassinated" during the riot, and lawmakers were "very lucky that things happened within certain minutes" so they weren't harmed."But many of us nearly and narrowly escaped death," Ocasio-Cortez added.She also described having feared, after being taken to a secure location with other lawmakers, that certain "white supremacist members of Congress" would "disclose my location" and "create opportunities to allow me to be hurt" or "kidnaped." > "I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die." @AOC says she feared for her life as a mob looted the Capitol in Washington DC.> > Read more on this story here: https://t.co/67A9hRXauR pic.twitter.com/cZvZZEWnRw> > -- Sky News (@SkyNews) January 13, 2021More stories from theweek.com Do Democrats realize the danger they are in? America's rendezvous with reality What 'Blue Lives Matter' was always about

  • Operation Warp Speed chief adviser resigns, Biden's transition official says

    Moncef Slaoui, the chief adviser for Operation Warp Speed, has resigned but will be available to the incoming Joe Biden administration as a consultant for about four weeks, a Biden transition official told Reuters late on Tuesday. Slaoui's role leading the COVID-19 vaccine development for the government effort is expected to be diminished after Jan. 20, according https://cnb.cx/3bAxEce to CNBC, which first reported the development. The Biden team has not asked Slaoui to stay past his current contract, which includes a 30 days' notice before termination, CNBC said.

  • National Guard to Concerned Citizens: No Donations, Please. The Troops Are OK

    Many viewed the images of sleeping troops and mistakenly thought that the Guard members were housed inside the Capitol.

  • Florida firefighter seen at the Capitol just got arrested. His lawyer shifts the blame

    A Central Florida firefighter photographed inside the U.S. Capitol during last week’s pro-MAGA riot was arrested Tuesday on charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful entry.

  • Cyprus: Brawl at overcrowded migrant camp injures 25

    More than two dozen migrants were injured during a large brawl between nationals from Syria and several African countries at an overcrowded migrant reception camp outside of Cyprus’ capital, a government official said Tuesday. Interior Ministry spokesman Loizos Michael told The Associated Press that all 25 sustained minor injuries and have since returned to the camp after receiving first aid at Nicosia General Hospital. Michael said around 1,500 migrants are housed at the 1,000-capacity camp, with 600 of those under quarantine in line with coronavirus-prevention protocols.

  • Trump asks those who believe in his 'agenda' to 'help promote peace in our country'

    Minutes after President Trump was impeached for the second time, the White House Twitter account posted a video message from the president, who called last week's Capitol riot "troubling" and "a calamity."During the five-minute message, Trump did not mention that it was his supporters who stormed the Capitol, with many breaching the building after Trump encouraged them to pressure lawmakers into overturning the results of the election."I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week," Trump said. "Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country and no place in our movement." He added that "no true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag."There are more demonstrations planned in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, and Trump said he is "asking everyone who has ever believed in our agenda to be thinking of ways to ease tensions, calm tempers, and help to promote peace in our country." Every American has the First Amendment right to "have their voice heard in a respectful and peaceful way," Trump continued, but "there must be no violence, no law breaking, and no vandalism of any kind." > pic.twitter.com/FIJbvCYGJ6> > -- The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 13, 2021More stories from theweek.com Do Democrats realize the danger they are in? America's rendezvous with reality What 'Blue Lives Matter' was always about

  • Biden should expand antitrust cases, break up tech companies, high-profile group says

    The Biden administration should expand antitrust cases against Alphabet's Google and Facebook and encourage breaking up companies, according to a group whose founder is working with the president-elect's transition team. The American Economic Liberties Project, an influential Washington-based anti-monopoly group, issued a report with guidance for antitrust enforcers in the next administration. The group is led by Sarah Miller, who is working with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team and has been instrumental in making antitrust enforcement against Big Tech a mainstream issue.

  • Texas solicitor general latest exit in embattled AG's office

    Texas' solicitor general who did not join embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton's failed efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election confirmed Wednesday he is resigning. “Kyle Hawkins fought for Texans’ rights every step of the way," Paxton said in the statement.

  • Poisoned critic will return to Russia, face risks

    One of President Vladimir Putin's leading critics says he’s flying home to Russia on Sunday despite the risk of prison. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny was speaking from Germany where he was airlifted last August, after being poisoned. Germany and other Western nations say it was an attempt to murder him with a Novichok nerve agent. Russian authorities deny any involvement in the incident. Navalny says he’s almost fully recovered. "The last thing Putin can do is to put a huge placard on Kremlin, reading: 'Alexei, please, under any circumstances - do not return back home'. But coming to Germany was not my choice. It is a cool country, but I am here not by my own will. I am here because they tried to kill me - those people who now have a grouch against me cause they did not manage to kill me, and I survived. And now they are threatening to put me in jail." His announcement came a day after court documents showed Russian authorities had asked a court to jail him. The charge: he allegedly broke the terms of a suspended sentence for what Navalny says was a politically-motivated conviction. Writing on social media, he says he’s not interested in what Putin’s servants might do to him – Russia is his country. Last month Russia's Federal Prison Service ordered Navalny to immediately fly back, and to report at a Moscow office, or be jailed if he failed to return in time. He and his allies have accused Russian authorities of trying to scare him from returning before parliamentary elections due to be held in September.

  • QAnon believer who plotted to kill Nancy Pelosi came to D.C. ready for war

    The Colorado man brought a Glock, an assault-style rifle with telescopic sight, high-capacity magazines and about 2,500 rounds of ammunition, including at least 320 “armor-piercing” rounds, according to court records.

  • Joint Chiefs pointedly remind military personnel Biden will be president, 'sedition and insurrection' are illegal

    In an extraordinary letter Tuesday, all eight of the top U.S. military officers told U.S. service members that last week's deadly mob attack on the U.S. Capitol was an illegal "direct assault" on not just Congress but also America's constitutional order, and "the rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition, and insurrection."The letter from the Joint Chiefs of Staff followed Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy's approval of 15,000 National Guardsmen, some armed with lethal weapons, to help secure the Capitol amid credible threats of violence from armed militia groups leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next Tuesday. Biden, the four-star generals reminded U.S. forces in their letter, "will be inaugurated and will become our 46th commander in chief."> The Joint Chiefs of Staff have sent this letter to the U.S. military about the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the forthcoming transition of power to President-elect Biden as "our 46th Commander in Chief." pic.twitter.com/IzlYmAygfe> > — Breaking News (@BreakingNews) January 12, 2021"As service members, we must embody the values and ideals of the nation," the Joint Chiefs said. "We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law."Some retired military officers participated in Wednesday's insurrection, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) asked the Pentagon on Monday to cooperate with the FBI and Capitol Police to determine the extent of participation in the "seditious conspiracy" by current and former service members. Another veteran, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), said Sunday that McCarthy should screen any military personnel involved in inauguration security to make sure none are "sympathetic to domestic terrorists."More stories from theweek.com Do Democrats realize the danger they are in? America's rendezvous with reality What 'Blue Lives Matter' was always about

  • Erdogan hopes new Turkey-Greece talks will herald new era

    President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he hoped the resumption of talks between Turkey and Greece over maritime disputes would herald a new era, and he urged Athens not to escalate tensions in the region. NATO members Ankara and Athens announced on Monday they had agreed to resume on Jan. 25 long-suspended exploratory talks over disputed offshore rights in the Mediterranean, which brought them close to conflict last year. Turkey angered Greece and the European Union last year when it deployed a seismic survey vessel to waters also claimed by Athens.