A Columbus tutor faces federal charges related to a fraud scheme in which he collected money meant to help poor kids in math and reading.
Authorities say Ashkir Ali has been arrested and charged with two counts of making false statements and two counts of aggravated identity theft. the federal court filing says he submitted fraudulent bills to Columbus City Schools, claiming to be tutoring children. But authorities say he never assisted the kids and forged the signatures of students and their parents. According to the indictment, Ali submitted more than $50,000 in fraudulent claims through his business, WAISS Network Technologies. The state auditor has been investigating fraud within the federally-funded tutoring program known as Supplemental Educational Services, since 2011.