HOUSTON — In the latest development, three Houston Independent School District (HISD) employees among five defendants accused of running an alleged million-dollar cheating ring appeared in court Friday morning.
Each of them faces two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity of helping hundreds of people cheat on teacher certification exams since at least 2020.
Early last week, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office held a press conference to press criminal charges against five individuals, three of whom were educators and campus leaders in the Houston ISD system. According to Michael Levine, Felony Chief of the DA’s Public Corruption Division, the accused have allegedly been cheating for more than 430 teacher certification exams and illegally certifying over 200 teachers who are now in local school districts.
Who Are the Indicted?
Vincent Grayson, age 57, was a prominent boys’ basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School. As a HISD employee of more than 20 years, Grayson’s accused of being the mastermind behind the cheating scheme. His bond was lowered from $300,000 to $100,000 on Tuesday.
Tywana Gilford Mason, age 51, was the former director and VA certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center (HTEC). As the test proctor, she allegedly accepted bribes from Grayson to allow the cheating to occur.
Nicholas Newton, age 35, was the assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School and worked under HISD for 12 years. He was allegedly the proxy, or stand-in, test-taker to take the exams in place of the candidates. His bond was lowered from $200,000 to $50,000.
LaShonda Roberts, age 39, was the assistant principal at Yates High School, also under the HISD. She was accused of recruiting almost 90 aspiring teachers and making them pay extra to access Grayson’s alleged cheating operation. Her bond was lowered to $50,000.
Darian Nikole Wilhite, age 22, was a proctor at TACTIX and allegedly recruited by Grayson after the HTEC closed down. She was accused of taking bribes and helping the cheating scheme continue at a different location.
Based on their bond conditions, the three HISD employees have to keep their distance from the school, employees, former students, and students. Their next court appearances will be in January.
Cheating Scheme’s Operations and Impact
Investigators said Grayson allegedly earned more than $1 million by charging people who wanted to pass the teacher certification test $2,500 each to use proxy test-takers. The people would go to a testing center, check in with their IDs, and leave. Newton would then allegedly take the tests in their place.
According to reports, Newton was caught “red-handed” in February 2024 while taking tests for two candidates at the same time.
District Attorney Kim Ogg said two of the people who paid to have the fake certification ended up being charged with crimes against children. She added that they were both listed as “sexual assault predators.”
“It was the access through the certification that was false that allowed them to commit the crimes,” Ogg said. “The extent of the damage is difficult to fully measure, but the consequences are severe.”
Prosecutors said the Texas Education Agency had found “irregularities” at the HTEC in 2023. They noticed that applicants who had already failed the certification exams previously “drove sometimes four or more hours to the Houston area and suddenly were passing the tests with flying colors,” said Levine. According to the DA, a whistleblower who was a former school coach turned police officer also told authorities about the criminal ring.
“This case is a stark example of how greed compromises education and community trust,” she continued, “Our goal now is to remove unqualified teachers from schools and protect our children.”
If convicted, the suspects could get up to life in prison.
Ongoing Investigation and Official Responses
Vincent Grayson’s attorney, Cheryl Irvine, said he would remain innocent until proven guilty and that the evidence must be “thoroughly examined.” She acknowledged the community’s concerns about the severity of the case because of its impact on the public education system.
“We’ve seen high-profile allegations fall apart before,“ LaShonda Roberts’s attorney, Brandon Leonard, stated, “The evidence must support the charges, and my client is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.”
HISD stated that it would terminate the employment of any teachers working in the district who participated in the cheating ring or were illegally certified through the scheme.
“Any educator who engages in conduct of this nature abdicates their responsibility to our students and to our staff and represents a complete betrayal of the public trust. HISD will cooperate fully with the Texas Education Agency and state and local law enforcement as the investigation progresses. All three of these employees have been arrested and will be receiving notifications relieving them of their duties effective immediately.”
The Texas Education Agency also issued a statement:
“In accordance with State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) rules, TEA will review any and all information shared by law enforcement and pursue appropriate action against any educator involved in this scheme. The SBEC will make a final determination on possible sanctions.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also announced indictments against the five defendants last week.
