PHOENIX — Vernal Lee “Vern” Crow of Glendale, former vice chairman of the Arizona School Facilities Board (SRB), was sentenced last month to two concurrent terms of probation related to a conflict of interest case.
Crow was indicted in November 2021 after failing to disclose his family's interest in a Phoenix business, Red Tree Consulting LLC while participating in three SRB decisions that directly benefited the business.
SRB oversees school facilities and equipment across the state.
In April 2022, Crow pleaded guilty to two counts of conflict of interest, admitting that he knowingly failed to disclose his association with Red Tree Consulting and not recusing himself when he voted in March 2016, to spend taxpayer funds for replacement piping at Taylor Elementary School in the Snowflake Unified School District. Red Tree Consulting was paid $12,050.
Separately, Crow also failed to disclose his involvement with Red Tree when voting in September 2017 to use taxpayer funds for roof replacement at the Desert Winds Learning Center School in the Casa Grande Union High School District. Red Tree was paid $42,200.
