Monday, May 10, 1999
Principal's trial starts today
Mann faces fraud, perjury charges
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
When Terry Mann goes on trial today on federal charges of mail fraud and perjury, the former state legislator will have the support of many political colleagues.
They say Mr. Mann — principal of Chapman Academic Vocational School in Covington and Campbell County Democratic Party chairman — is a man of deep integrity.
They say they don't give much credence to charges that he misled school authorities about his qualifications and stole a TV.
Some are confident that Mr. Mann will be acquitted, but they still worry about damage to the reputation of the former state legislator, who in 1972 became the youngest person elected to the General Assembly, at 24 years old.
Mr. Mann represented Newport for 14 years as a state legislator before retiring from his House seat for an unsuccessful congressional run in 1986.
“I found him to be a very honest, high-minded person,” said former Florence Mayor Evelyn Kalb, who was part of Mr. Mann's congressional campaign. “I have great admiration for Terry.”
She acknowledges being shocked when she heard Mr. Mann was indicted but “nothing has come out that has changed my mind about Terry.”
A state investigation into the 1990-94 tenure of former Covington Schools Superintendent James Biggs led to federal charges against Mr. Mann.
A 1995 state report indicated Mr. Biggs withheld information from board members on contracts and misused thousands of dollars for consultant fees and unnecessary travel.
It also contended Mr. Mann was allowed to serve as a principal without state-required certification after June 30, 1987, when his certification expired, and until 1995.
He originally faced 17 federal charges stemming from those allegations: four counts of fraud, 11 counts of mail fraud and two counts of perjury.
Nine counts were dismissed in 1997, leaving six mail fraud and two perjury charges that delve only into Mr. Mann's actions between 1992 and 1996.
The mail fraud charges stem from allegations that Mr. Mann had a “scheme and artifice” to get paid principal's pay between 1992 and 1995, when he didn't have the proper state-required certification to be receiving it.
Grand jurors said he “did knowingly cause to be delivered by mail” the correspondence between state and Covington officials that allowed him to be paid as a principal when he should have received a teacher's salary.
The indictment said Mr. Mann collected about $54,000 more than he was entitled to from Covington Schools during that period.
Perjury charges arise from Mr. Mann's April 1996 testimony to a grand jury about his qualifications and about a 5-inch TV bought by Holmes High School — the vocational school is located on its campus — that ended up at his house.
Mr. Mann and his attorney Steve Pence of Louisville refused comment on the eve of trial, but Mr. Pence said previously that the charges are meritless and an attempt to embarrass Mr. Mann.
Covington attorney Paul Vesper worked on some of Mr. Mann's political campaigns. He remains the former state legislator's friend and is eager for a verdict.
He has encouraged Mr. Mann to run for election again.
“Everyone's looking forward to this matter being behind Mr. Mann, so he can get on with his life,” he said. “You can't go through this kind of scrutiny and not have people wonder and ask questions and be a little stand-offish with you.
“Everybody is looking forward to it being resolved. To his friends, it's already an issue that's behind him. To his detractors, it will never be behind. And, to the public, who knows.”
Kentucky Rep. Jim Callahan, D-Wilder, inherited Mr. Mann's legislative district in 1986. He said he puts a lot of stock in Mr. Mann's track record as a state representative.
“You don't stay in a position for 14 years unless you're doing something right,” he said.
Mr. Mann became principal of the vocational school in 1980. He has contended that he was unaware of certification problems until early 1995.
He was removed temporarily as principal that year, fulfilled the certification requirements, then returned to the vocational school's top administrative position. Mr. Mann now receives an annual $74,080 as principal.
If he is convicted, federal sentencing guidelines indicate he could be imprisoned for 12-18 months, fined and ordered to repay Covington Schools for any salary to which he was not entitled.
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