Former Shakopee Superintendent Admits to Federal Charge
Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - Just two days after federal prosecutors announced he had been charged, a former Superintendent for a southern Minnesota School District entered a guilty plea to a federal bribery charge on Thursday.
53-year-old Rodney Thompson admitted using his position as the top administrator in the Shakopee School District to arrange an illicit exchange with a firm seeking a contract with the school system that provided him with renovations to his home, personal travel, and tickets to sporting events valued at around $50,000.
“Mr. Thompson was a trusted member of the Shakopee community. Parents, teachers, staff, and students trusted him to act with integrity to make the right decisions in the best interest of the Shakopee schools,” said United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald. “He chose to violate that trust and act on what served his own interest. With his guilty plea today, I hope the Shakopee community has a sense of closure.”
Thompson is scheduled to be sentenced for the federal conviction in late March. He still faces over a dozen embezzlement charges in state court for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the Shakopee School District.