The federal trial of a Conyers businesswoman and former Rockdale teacher charged with bribery of a Mississippi superintendent has been postponed to Oct. 7 in Oxford, Miss.
Edna Goble's attorneys asked for more time to review more documents provided by the government, according to the Delta Democrat Times. Her trial had been set for July 22.
Edna Goble faces 10 counts of bribes to former Greenville superintendent Harvey Franklin, Sr. in exchange for a consulting contract with her company "Teach them to Read, Inc." for use of the EDNA reading program, according to reports in the Delta Democrat Times and Associated Press. She allegedly received more than $47,000 in kickbacks.
The Lake Capri neighborhood resident was indicted December 2012 and entered a plea of not guilty. She will go to trial in U.S. District Court in Oxford, Miss.
Harvey entered a guilty plea in August 2012 to conspiracy, improperly accepting something valued at more than $5,000 and embezzling U.S. property worth more than $1,000. The three charges carry up to a total of $750,000 in fines and 25 years in prison. He has yet to be sentenced.
The Greenville school system paid $1.4 million in federal grant funds to Edna Goble's Teach Them To Read Inc. Goble paid $36,000 on Franklin's truck loan, $9,400 on his home improvements and $1,900 on his American Express bill with cashier's checks bought through her company, according to previous reports. Goble also paid for tuition for Franklin's children at Drexel University and Tulane University, according to the Associated Press. The payments were reportedly made between May 2010 and May 2011.
Franklin, who was appointed superintendent in 2009 and resigned in May 2012, agreed to forfeit his house and truck, according to federal court papers.
Goble worked for Rockdale County Public Schools from 1978-1990 as a PE teacher and from 1990-1994 as an Instructional Lead Teacher.
Franklin came to Greenville from Walton County Public Schools where he was Assistant Superintendent.
He brought Goble's program to WCPS for eight years, from 2002 to 2010. During that time, WCPS spent $1.675 million on the program, according to Loganville-Grayson Patch.
