Marble City district gets $1 million-plus reimbursement
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By Sheila Stogsdill
Published: July 18, 2008
MARBLE CITY — More than $1 million in restitution funds were hand-delivered to the Marble City School District on Friday.
Sheldon J. Sperling, U. S. attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, delivered checks totaling $1,088,948.41 to Ramon Bolin, Marble City School Board president.
The restitution funds were paid by Larry Couch, former Marble City superintendent. Couch, 55, of Vian, pleaded guilty in May to embezzlement of government funds, making and subscribing a false tax return and forfeiture of $979,000.00.
Sperling said the school is reimbursed both for the financial loss and for the payment of costs previously incurred to the State of Oklahoma for the costs of investigation.
The plea agreement provided for the United States to seize properties until the total amount of the criminal forfeiture, $979,000, was paid. In addition to paying the school, Couch also paid the Internal Revenue Service $70,000.
"This proceeding renders the Marble City School District as whole as prosecutors can," Sperling said. "If there's a silver lining here, it's that the embezzled money wasn't blown at a casino or race track or on something that sparkles, burns gas and depreciates."
A state audit covering almost a decade beginning in 1998 shows Couch used a closed school organization to launder money to buy land and pay for other expenditures related to a farming operation. Auditors believe Couch concealed school funds totaling $948,202.35.
Sperling said that without the persistence of Bolin and his sense of duty to his community and county, these crimes may have gone forever undiscovered.
"Many of us are too familiar with the adage 'justice grinds slowly,'" said Jerry Moore, district attorney. "It's nice, rewarding, to be a part of a collective effort that can move a case of this magnitude to this point in just over a year."
The federal prosecutors, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Division, and the state auditor's office did an excellent job with a mountain of work, he said.
Couch faces imprisonment not to exceed 13 years, a fine not to exceed $500,000, and a supervised release term of up to three years. He remains free on bail and is waiting sentencing.
He was suspended in November after the state Board of Education voted to revoke his teaching certificate after hearing testimony that he had falsified forms submitted in the school's request for state aid.
Couch resigned in April.
