The U.S. Attorney’s office reported the conviction of a school employee in Michigan who was found guilty following a three-day jury trial on two counts of unlawfully converting to his own use property belonging to the River Rouge School District and one count of conspiring to convert property.

Joseph Hudson, age 49 , of Wyandotte, Michigan, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years per conviction, as well as possible fines. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Engstrom, who prosecuted the case, said that “While working on behalf of the district, Mr. Hudson conspired with two outside vendors to create and submit fraudulent invoices for goods – such as audio/video equipment, cameras, lumber and construction materials — and services that were never provided.”

Engstrom also stated in court records that on many occasions, Hudson would “fraudulently sign on behalf of the district for receipt of phantom products and initiate the payment process on the fake invoices. Through various similar schemes, Hudson fraudulently converted approximately $200,000 of the district’s funds to his own use over a two period.”

The case arose from a larger investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, which has already led to the conviction of the then-Superintendent of the River Rouge Schools, Benjamin Benford, for extortion, and Leon Higgins – an outside vendor, associated with Ideal Communications, Inc. – for conspiring with Mr. Hudson in his scheme to unlawfully convert assets of the River Rouge School District.