$8,000,000 in Ohio School Funds Diverted Into Luxury Miami Rental, Phoenix Man Charged in Kickback Scheme

Federal authorities have charged a Phoenix resident with helping divert millions in public funds from an Ohio charter school into personal luxuries including luxury vehicles and a high-end Miami rental.

Jonathan Larry Ballew, 62, of Phoenix allegedly teamed up with the school’s former operator to submit phony invoices from shell companies for services that were never delivered, triggering more than $8 million in improper payments, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

Prosecutors say the pair divided over $4 million in kickbacks from the billing that ran from 2021 through 2024.

Leondo Ramone Davenport, 50, of Cincinnati, former superintendent and later operator of Dohn Community High School, is charged with him. Both face an eight-count indictment that includes wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions.

Each wire fraud count carries a maximum of 20 years. The monetary transaction counts carry up to 10 years.

Officials called the scheme a theft from taxpayers and students at the Cincinnati school, which focused on teens recovering from addiction and later closed amid financial trouble.

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