HOUSTON – A coach in the Houston Independent School District has been identified as the “Kingpin” in a teacher-certification cheating scheme that allowed at least 200 unqualified teachers to work in local school districts.
Vincent Grayson, 57, head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD for nearly 20 years, was charged as the organizer of the cheating scheme.
BACKGROUND: 200 unqualified teachers certified in $1M Houston-based cheating scheme
Who is Coach Grayson?
Mike Levine, a felony chief in the DA Office’s Public Corruption Division, estimated that the ring’s kingpin had grossed more than $1 million from the scheme.
“Vincent Grayson is the kingpin. He’s made $1,090,000 from this scheme, as best we can tell,” Levine stated at Monday’s news conference.
Earlier this year, Grayson was nominated as for High School Coach of the Year at the Houston Sports Awards. He was described to have had an impact on the basketball court at Booker T. Washington High School. He led the team to their first-ever UIL state tournament in 2023, marking a significant milestone for the high school.
RELATED: Houston Sports Awards celebrates high school athletic excellence and coaching brilliance
How the scheme worked
Levine said candidates would pay Grayson usually $2,500. He then would forward roughly 20% of that money to Gilford Mason for her willingness to allow the cheating to occur.
LIST: And the winner is... | See full list of Houston Sports Awards winners
The candidate would then reportedly be instructed by Grayson, where and when exactly to test. They would come, show ID, sign in and leave, Levine stated.
A few minutes later, Nicholas Newton, the proxy tester, would reportedly sit in their seat, take and pass the test that they felt they could not.
Suspects identified
The are the following suspects charged in the scheme have been identified:
- Vincent Grayson, 57, the head boys basketball coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD for nearly 20 years. Grayson was charged as the organizer of the cheating scheme.
- Tywana Gilford Mason, 51, the former director/VA certifying official at the Houston Training and Education Center. Mason’s role as test proctor allowed her to keep the proxy scheme undetected.
- Nicholas Newton, 35, an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington High School in Houston ISD. Newton is alleged to have participated in the scheme as the proxy test-taker.
- Darian Nikole Wilhite, 22, a proctor at TACTIX who is alleged to have taken bribes to allow Newton to act as a testing proxy.
- LaShonda Roberts, 39, an assistant principal at Yates High School in Houston ISD. Roberts is charged with recruiting nearly 100 teachers to participate in the cheating scheme.
All five defendants are charged with two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity.