Brenda L. Belton, who was fired last year from her job as director of the Office of Charter School Oversight amid allegations of embezzlement and fraud, has indicated she will plead guilty to five counts, including theft from a program receiving public funds, conversion of public money, bankruptcy fraud, and federal and local tax evasion. Belton stands accused of wrongfully paying herself more than $418,000, and wrongfully obligating the government in seven separate contracts worth a total of $444,620.99 — all of which benefited members of her family. The terms of Belton’s plea agreement had not been disclosed in the court documents obtained by the Examiner, which led to their story this morning.

A year ago today, federal authorities raided the charter school office after an investigation of her was triggered by charter school employee Steve Kapani. Kappani tipped authorities off to the possible misuse of funds. It was an emarassing time for the charter school system and the D.C. School Board, which at the time still supervised 18 charter schools that enrolled nearly 5,000 children. At the time of the raid, school board Vice President Carolyn Graham vocally defended Belton and directed the board to suspend Kapani. Graham has since resigned and the school board has voted to cede its authority over the schools to a seven-member appointed panel known as the D.C. Public Charter School Board.

Today, Graham told the Post that she was sorry for Belton and her family and “also sorry for the system itself and the fact that we didn’t have the controls in place to allow for the protection of public resources in a better way.”