NEWARK – The former principal of two private schools in the East Bay is facing criminal charges related to wage theft, tax evasion and embezzlement, prosecutors said.
Victor Dawson, 52, is charged with two counts of felony wage theft, two counts of felony tax evasion, one count of misdemeanor tax evasion and one count of felony embezzlement, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Dawson was arraigned Tuesday at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in downtown Oakland.
Dawson served as the principal of Mission Hills Middle School in Castro Valley and New Horizons School in Newark. He was also the owner of New Horizons School.
A criminal complaint alleges that in 2024, Dawson committed wage theft against 47 teachers and other staff members, as well as embezzled retirement contributions from six teachers. Prosecutors said Dawson deducted money for the victims’ retirement savings from their paychecks and used those deductions for his own benefit.
In addition, Dawson evaded paying state taxes and payroll taxes by failing to file the necessary tax returns, while deducting payroll taxes from the teachers’ paychecks and using those deductions for himself, the criminal complaint alleges.
“Parents trust that school owners will use tuition funds to educate their children and to compensate teachers for their hard work, not to enrich themselves,” District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said in a statement on Wednesday. “This case represents a breach of that trust.”
California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garcia-Bower’s said her office opened an investigation after teachers came forward with wage theft complaints. The case was referred for criminal prosecution.
“Teachers and school staff are often underpaid for the vital work they do” she said in a statement. “Stealing from their paychecks or retirement accounts is illegal and a profound betrayal of trust that harms workers and destabilizes schools, putting students at risk.”
A civil judgment against Dawson includes wages owed to employees, labor law penalties and civil penalties totaling $687,987, according to the district attorney’s office.
New Horizons School shut its doors in May 2024 after Dawson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to media reports. At the time, he said the decision was driven in part by low enrollment and financial instability. The school reopened later that year under new ownership.