A Fraud With a Different Twist!!

by Gary Snyder

Newport-Mesa (CA) School Superintendent Jeffrey Hubbard and Karen Anne Christiansen are an interesting couple. Prosecutors have accused Hubbard of two counts of misusing public funds by allegedly giving Christiansen an illegal $20,000 stipend and improperly increasing her monthly car allowance. Christiansen faces more serious charges, including conflict of interest and misappropriation of funds that allegedly netted her $2.2 million. Both were former employees in the Beverly Hills (CA) Unified School District. In addition to their criminal charges, they have bantering back and forth with one another flirtatiously with sexual undertones. In his e-mails, Hubbard's last year with Beverly Hills, he called Christiansen "sweetheart," "hottie" and said "I love you" and "I adore you," according to media reports. There were also sexual references in the e-mails to Christiansen. Christiansen called herself Hubbard's beck-and-call girl, to which he replied "I love that … you can give me head (s up)." In a Sept. 29, 2005, exchange, Christiansen asks for time off because her mother died and Hubbard replies "whatever." He apologized repeatedly after she responded with "Nice sympathetic response!!!! I'm grieving for god sake." Hubbard is accused of giving her the $20,000 stipend that day. Newport-Mesa board chair, Martha Fluor, "I take it with a grain of salt," said. "They are consenting adults." They used official district channels to communicate at both school districts. What do you think? Update: A judge in Los Angeles ruled that there is enough evidence for Newport-Mesa Unified School District Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard to stand trial for alleged misappropriation of funds during his previous job as superintendent in the Beverly Hills schools district.