State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, joined by Miami-Dade County Inspector General Felix Jimenez, announced the filing of criminal charges against former Miami-Dade School Board member Lubby Navarro.
Navarro faces two counts of Scheme to Defraud and two Counts of Grand Theft following an investigation by the State Attorney’s Public Corruption Task Force that uncovered the improper use of school district credit cards to purchase non-school related items and goods for personal gain, including home appliances, electronics, clothing, health and beauty products, household goods, home furnishings, food, and a variety of store gift cards.
Navarro was charged with:
- 1 Count – Organized Fraud/ $50,000 or More
- 1 Count – Grand Theft Third Degree
- 1 Count – Organized Fraud/ $20,000 or Less
- 1 Count – Grand Theft Second Degree
The School District Administration in South Florida uncovered an issue after Navarro left her position in December of 2022. Her outstanding credit card paperwork was left uncompleted, and a reconciliation revealed suspicious bills and statements. An initial review showed large purchases, leading to an investigation into the possible irregularities. It was discovered that her purchases were neither school-related nor authorized and totaled nearly $100,000 of personal purchases during 2022.
“Every dollar stolen and spent by Navarro is a dollar taken from our school system, and therefore, stolen from our children diminishing their possibility for a better future,” stated State Attorney Fernandez Rundle. “Lubby Navarro, who had been the Vice Chair of the School Board and had worked for the school system since 2002, knew better than to have gone down this pathetic path.”
The State Attorney concluded by urging individuals to report suspected instances of Public Corruption to our Public Corruption Hotline at 305-547-3300.
“After so much work in the area of public corruption, there are still individuals who think that they can get away with stealing from the public. We are here today to say, that if you even consider such an action, I, my Public Corruption Task Force, and our entire Law Enforcement community will be waiting for you.”
