Ex-official accused of accepting truckloads of dirt from excavator

Free dirt allegedly accepted to develop homesite

PHOENIX, Ariz. (AP) — State watchdog officials say a former school district official is accused of accepting up to 700 truckloads of dirt from an excavation site on district property and using it to develop a homesite he owned.

The Auditor General's Office said a grand jury indictment charges Michael Moran, former operations director for the Wickenburg Unified School District, with conflict of interest and other crimes.

The office said it conducted an investigation and presented findings to the Attorney General’s Office after the district reported alleged financial misconduct by Moran, who resigned in 2018 when questioned by the district superintendent.

Court records don’t list an attorney for Moran who could speak for him.