Former Miami-Dade School Board member Lubby Navarro pleads not guilty to fraud, theft charges
MIAMI - Former Miami-Dade School Board member Lubby Navaro, who is accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from Miami-Dade County Public Schools was back in front of a judge on Friday morning.
She is facing four counts including organized scheme to defraud and could face up to 55 years in state prison.
During the hearing, she pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Her attorney said she will work to serve the community in a different way while this plays out in court.
Navarro was snared in a probe relating to her improper use of a school board-issued credit card, known as a P Card, to cover several thousands of dollars of her personal expenses, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.
The alleged misuse came to light after Navarro resigned from her post in last December 2022. She left the elected post a day before a new Florida law prohibiting elected officials from working as lobbyists went into effect
Instead of reconciling credit card charges, which is required by officials who have the cards, Navarro left the school system, which resulted in the superintendent's chief of staff and chief financial officer examining her credit card purchases.
According to a 91-page criminal complaint, Navarro spent over $92,000 on unauthorized purchases like appliances, electronics, clothing, food, health-and-beauty products, and gift cards.
She's also accused of using her P Card to pay for at least $9,000 in travel expenses for airline tickets, hotel stays, meals, car rentals, a trip with her mother to the Dominican Republic, and a trip to Las Vegas with her then-boyfriend.
Navarro's trial date has been tentatively set for April.
