FOSTER, West Virginia — A federal grand jury has charged Michael David Barker, 47, of Foster, with multiple offenses including mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, theft from programs receiving federal funds, and money laundering. The indictment, unsealed following Barker’s arrest, alleges that from November 2019 to December 2023, Barker defrauded the Boone County Board of Education out of approximately $3.4 million.
Barker, who served as the maintenance director for Boone County Schools from 2015 until November 2023, was responsible for overseeing the ordering of supplies. The indictment claims that he submitted falsified documents showing inflated purchases of janitorial products, including hand soap, trash liners, and face masks, from Rush Enterprises, a Kentucky-based company with an office in West Virginia.
For example, in 2022 and 2023, Barker allegedly arranged for the school district to pay Rush Enterprises for 4,993 cases of hand soap, despite only 829 cases being delivered. This resulted in the school district overpaying by approximately $474,696 for goods that were never received.
Barker is accused of working with Jesse Marks, the operator of Rush Enterprises, who is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator. Together, they allegedly overbilled the school district and split the proceeds, with Barker personally receiving about $2 million. Prosecutors claim Barker used the stolen funds for extravagant personal purchases.
The fraudulent transactions involved false invoices that led the Boone County Board of Education to send checks via U.S. Mail to Rush Enterprises. Marks is accused of cashing these checks, retaining his share, and paying Barker in cash at various locations throughout Boone County.
Barker now faces multiple charges, and authorities are committed to holding him accountable for exploiting his position of trust. U.S. Attorney Will Thompson commented on the case, stating that Barker’s scheme took advantage of the Boone County Schools, especially during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This indictment seeks to hold Mr. Barker accountable for siphoning much-needed resources from our public schools, impacting the children of Boone County,” Thompson said.
