The former long-time superintendent of the Utica City School District will sentenced to five years’ probation after he admitted to a felony charge of public corruption.
Bruce Karam admitted to using public resources to support the school board election campaigns of candidates he favored and who would determine his salary as members of the board. He also used school resources to send invitations for a non-school-related fundraiser for a purported charity run by former Utica mayor and school board president Louis LaPolla. Fundraiser fliers for the charity were inserted by school district employees during school hours in envelopes the school district paid for and were mailed using the district’s stamps.
Karam was also sentenced to pay the UCSD restitution of $11,549 for the resources improperly diverted and to perform 250 hours of community service. Karam was also ordered to pay UCSD $150,000 by May 17, representing a reduction in his pension earnings from the date of his crime until his termination.
Karam was the UCSD’s superintendent from 2011 until October 2022. He was terminated by the school board shortly after his arrest in November 2023.
His co-defendant, LaPolla, was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest and three years of probation earlier this month.
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