A Philadelphia mother, Laurel Schullere, is facing serious charges after allegedly swindling the School District of Philadelphia out of $61,000 meant for her own children's care. According to authorities, Schullere had two children enrolled in city schools who required therapeutic services, but instead of providing them with legitimate care, she created a fictional business called Missing Pieces and convinced the school district to send over nine years' worth of payments.
Unbeknownst to the school district, Schullere owned the fictional company, and investigators found no evidence that it was even operational. The addresses listed for Missing Pieces were one abandoned property and another belonging to a church – hardly legitimate business premises.
The scheme came to light when authorities discovered that Schullere had received over $61,000 in payments from the school district without forwarding any of it to her children's actual care providers. In fact, the money was allegedly pocketed by Schullere herself.
Attorney General Dave Sunday condemned Schullere's actions, stating that she "exploited a system designed to help her own children grow and succeed" rather than ensuring they received the care they needed. Instead, she misled the district and swindled taxpayers out of millions of dollars.
Schullere turned herself in to authorities on Wednesday, facing charges of theft by deception and other related crimes. Her case highlights the risks of exploitation and abuse within a system intended to support vulnerable populations like children with special needs.
Unbeknownst to the school district, Schullere owned the fictional company, and investigators found no evidence that it was even operational. The addresses listed for Missing Pieces were one abandoned property and another belonging to a church – hardly legitimate business premises.
The scheme came to light when authorities discovered that Schullere had received over $61,000 in payments from the school district without forwarding any of it to her children's actual care providers. In fact, the money was allegedly pocketed by Schullere herself.
Attorney General Dave Sunday condemned Schullere's actions, stating that she "exploited a system designed to help her own children grow and succeed" rather than ensuring they received the care they needed. Instead, she misled the district and swindled taxpayers out of millions of dollars.
Schullere turned herself in to authorities on Wednesday, facing charges of theft by deception and other related crimes. Her case highlights the risks of exploitation and abuse within a system intended to support vulnerable populations like children with special needs.
this is just disgusting... how could someone do this? 
her kids were supposed to be getting legit care, but she's been taking advantage of that for years! 
9 whole years of taxpayer money, all going straight into her own pocket... it's mental. I mean what's next? 
is everyone just gonna start making up their own businesses and scamming the system like that? 
it's infuriating to think about how much damage she's done. The fact that these kids were supposed to be getting help, but instead they're not even on the radar... it's heartbreaking. 
this case is a prime example of what can happen when people take advantage of a system meant to support others. It's just so frustrating and upsetting 
And they were literally so moist! Anyway, back to this whole thing... I mean, can you imagine if someone took advantage of the system like that? It's just crazy. I feel bad for her kids, though - I hope they get the help they need now. But, omigosh, have you seen those new Pokémon cards that came out? 
My nephew is totally obsessed with them...
It's crazy that someone would take advantage of the system like that, especially since they were supposed to be helping their own kids. I hope she gets a slap on the wrist and actually has to pay some of that back... or better yet, use it to get her kids the real help they need 
I'm literally fuming about this one... I mean, who does this?! A mom using her kids' disabilities for personal gain is just disgusting 
. And nine years worth of payments?! That's like, what even is that?! They're basically taking advantage of the system and everyone else while her own kids suffer 
.
. It's a shame, because there are good people out there who genuinely care about helping others, but then you've got cases like this and it just feels like too much... 
I mean, it's just devastating to think about a situation where someone would take advantage of a good intention, you know? The idea that there are people out there who would exploit the system and swindle others is just... 
I'm not sure what's more shocking - the fact that she managed to get away with it for so long or that she was able to manipulate people into believing in this fake business. 