Federal Investigation of Schools

April 23, 2009

Namey goes before grand jury panel

Superintendent wouldn’t offer details of what he said behind closed doors in Scranton.

By Jerry Lynott jlynott@timesleader.com
Business Writer
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SCRANTON – Wilkes-Barre+Area+School+District%22>Wilkes-Barre Area School District Superintendent Jeff Namey arrived for his grand jury testimony Tuesday carrying a folder of documents under his arm.

Two hours later he left empty handed and provided few details about his appearance before the panel that met behind closed doors.

“I can’t make a comment,” he said after exiting the second-floor room in the William Nealon Courthouse. He did not appear with an attorney and would not say whether he was subpoenaed to testify.

Last week Namey confirmed the FBI was investigating the district and subpoenaed records, including school board minutes.

Federal investigators have been conducting an ongoing probe of public corruption in the Luzerne County Courthouse that has resulted in charges against four people including former judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan.

Namey would not comment on whether the district and courthouse investigations are related.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Namey said he “went in and had to provide some information and that’s exactly what I did.” He estimated he was before the panel for 25 to 30 minutes.

He was seen outside the grand jury room around 9:35 a.m. and again in the hallway near the room’s entrances at approximately 11:25 a.m.

Two men left the room about an hour before Namey, but would not answer questions or identify themselves.

When reached later in the afternoon, Namey said no one else from the district went before the grand jury Tuesday.

As he left the courthouse, Namey spoke to reporters and shed light on other matters related and unrelated to his appearance.

Within the past two weeks, FBI agents interviewed district employees, Namey said. “It’s common knowledge that they spoke to a couple of teachers.”

Pennsylvania State Education Association spokesman Paul Shemansky said that the association met with Wilkes-Barre Area teachers this week to explain what legal help it will provide in the probe. Shemansky said he also had heard some teachers were contacted by investigators, but that to his knowledge none of them were called before the grand jury.

Federal investigators are conducting a separate investigation into the Wilkes-Barre Area Vocational Technical School, according to Namey. “I have some knowledge, but I can’t comment,” he said.

Attorney Jack Dean, who provides legal assistance for the vo-tech school, said he was unaware of Namey’s testimony and what investigators were looking into in the district.

As for the vo-tech, an FBI agent requested the names of board members of the vo-tech’s Joint Operating Committee for the last five years, Dean acknowledged.

“It was a verbal request,” he said and the conversation with the agent lasted about 30 seconds. The information sought “is a matter of public record” and the vo-tech provided the names, Dean added.

Namey expressed relief at finishing his testimony. It was his first time before a grand jury and hopefully his last, he said “It’s not a pleasant thing.”

Staff writer Mark Guydish contributed to this report

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