Charter school founder used school money to help buy $900K home

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The founder and superintendent of two Columbus charter schools and former Homeland Security advisor has pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge, using the money to help buy his New Albany home.

Abdirizak Y. Farah, 59, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit bank fraud Monday and faces up to 30 years in prison.

Farah founded Focus Learning Academy of Northern Columbus (FLANC) in 2007 and Focus Learning Academy of Central Columbus (FLACC) in 2020, according to the office of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Kenneth L. Parker. From August 2010 through September 2022, Farah also served as a senior policy advisor for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Farah bought a $900,000 home on Lambton Park Road in New Albany in August 2020. With his plea, Farah admitted to requesting a $265,000 payment two days before the closing be made from a Focus Learning bank account to another person for “learning materials.” That same day, Farah notified the bank that was handling the home closing that he had been “gifted” $260,000 that was unrelated to his buying the home.

The following day, the person who received the $265,000 then wired that money to the title company handling the closing, the U.S. attorney’s office said. FLANC vendors then paid that unnamed person approximately $265,000 over the next few days, with that money being returned to Focus Learning accounts.

As part of the plea agreement, Farah will pay back $265,000.

Farah’s sentencing has not been scheduled.