{"id":2688666,"date":"2026-10-20T22:19:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T02:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/husband-of-democratic-party-chair-charged-with-stealing-20-million-from-federal-education-grants\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T22:19:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T02:19:00","slug":"husband-of-democratic-party-chair-charged-with-stealing-20-million-from-federal-education-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/husband-of-democratic-party-chair-charged-with-stealing-20-million-from-federal-education-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"Husband of Democratic Party Chair Charged with Stealing $20 Million from Federal Education Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhusband-of-democratic-party-chair-charged-with-stealing-20-million-from-federal-education-grants%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2688666&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Michael Perik, the husband of Rhode Island\u2019s Democratic Party Chair Liz Beretta-Perik, was indicted earlier this month for allegedly stealing $20 million through education grants.<\/p>\n<p>The grants were linked to Ohio\u2019s Eastern Gateway Community College, which officials said closed in part because of the scheme, <a href=\"https:\/\/turnto10.com\/news\/local\/husband-of-rhode-island-democratic-party-chair-accused-of-stealing-20m-in-education-funds-eastern-gateway-community-college-pell-grants-october-19-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according<\/a> to WJAR-TV.<\/p>\n<p>The Ohio State Auditor\u2019s office said Perik was indicted along with two other individuals. He stands accused of using multiple educational consulting companies to run a criminal racket that diverted Pell grants, as well as other federal and state aid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Enterprise functioned for the general purpose of obtaining as much money as possible from the disbursement of Federal financial aid and State subsidies and then diverting those disbursements both through fraudulent reimbursements and as incentive compensation in violation of Federal law,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/turnto10.com\/resources\/pdf\/ae03df26-6f46-445a-b2d1-6982527fb834-egccindictment2026.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indictment<\/a> read.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Enterprise also accomplished its purpose by engaging in a scheme to defraud, including by disbursing and retaining financial aid for ineligible students, falsifying data and records and concealing data and records,\u201d it continued.<\/p>\n<p>Perik was hit with dozens of charges that included aggravated theft of $1.5 million or more, telecommunications fraud, bribery, money laundering, receiving stolen property, and records tampering.<\/p>\n<p>The two others who were indicted with Perik are Nicole Rowe Colclasure and Michael Geoghegan.<\/p>\n<p>State Auditor Keith Faber said, \u201cThese public resources were supposed to help disadvantaged students in an area of the state where educational opportunities were scarce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead, it appears these individuals took advantage of their positions, and students were left out in the cold,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-embed\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Husband of Rhode Island Democratic Party chair accused of stealing $20M in education funds\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FRdDaeYNJ3I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>Faber\u2019s office estimated that \u201cmillions of dollars in financial aid were improperly paid to entities owned and controlled by Perik and Colclasure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The alleged crimes took place between January 2017 and March 2022, the indictment noted.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent commented on the case, saying, \u201cSince day one, President Trump and Secretary McMahon have tackled fraud, waste, and abuse, which requires a whole-of-government approach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a disgrace that individuals may have taken advantage of the federal student aid programs that are intended to help students access postsecondary education,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are proud to stand with Ohio Auditor Faber and his team to hold fraudsters accountable and protect the integrity of critical resources that millions of students and families rely on,\u201d Kent concluded.<\/p>\n<p>State records revealed that Perik has given almost $50,000 to the Rhode Island Democratic state committee and over $75,000 to individual candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Among those who received donations are Rhode Island\u2019s Democratic Gov. Dan McKee, Democratic state Attorney General Peter Neronha, and Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner.<\/p>\n<p>Perik\u2019s attorney, Brad Barbin, issued a lengthy statement calling the charges \u201cpolitical retribution\u201d and \u201cpurely political payback.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also stated that \u201cPerik followed all the protocols and received sign offs from agency lawyers,\u201d and claimed there was \u201cno crime or lack of transparency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>WJAR texted Perik\u2019s wife to ask whether she would continue in her role as Democratic Party chair. She replied, \u201cThis is an Ohio matter and does not involve me.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Perik, the husband of Rhode Island\u2019s Democratic Party Chair Liz Beretta-Perik, was indicted earlier this month for allegedly stealing $20 million through education grants. The grants were linked to Ohio\u2019s Eastern Gateway Community College, which officials said closed in part because of the scheme, according to WJAR-TV. The Ohio State Auditor\u2019s office said Perik<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2688667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Perik-vs-college.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2688666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Perik-vs-college.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2688666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2688666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2688666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2688667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2688666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2688666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2688666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}