LA United School District scandal leads to charges as $22M scheme allegedly drained funds meant for students

A former Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) IT employee and a tech company owner are facing felony charges in what prosecutors describe as one of the "largest" alleged money laundering schemes in the district's history.

Hong "Grace" Peng, a former LAUSD technical project manager, and Gautham Sampath, owner of the tech firm Innive, are accused of orchestrating a years-long "pay-to-play" scheme that allegedly steered more than $22 million in school district contracts to Sampath’s company.