MIDLAND, Pa. - The executive offices of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School were searched Thursday by the FBI and agents from two other federal agencies. However, officials would not identify the target of the investigation or the purpose of the search.
A statement from the U.S. Department of Justice's Pittsburgh office said PA Cyber "as an entity, is not a current target of this investigation," the Beaver County Times reported Thursday on its website.
According to the Times, FBI agents carrying federal search warrants were joined by representatives of the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation division and the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Inspector General Investigation Services.
The school is on its summer recess and is focusing on enrollment for the 2012-13 school year.
Nick Trombetta founded The PA Cyber Charter School in 2000. At the time he was superintendent of Midland School District.
PA Cyber enrolled more than 11,000 students during the 2011-12 school year, according to the Times. Trombetta also taught and coached in East Liverpool City Schools from 1980-1992. He retired as the chief executive officer at PA Cyber on July 1.
In the past, allegations against Trombetta and a number of educational organizations under his oversight have been the subject of a state grand jury investigation. Those organizations included the Midland School District, PA Cyber, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center and the National Network of Digital Schools in Calcutta.
St. Clair Township Police Chief Don Hyatt confirmed that the FBI contacted him as a courtesy but added his department was not involved in the raid. No charges have resulted from the investigation.
The Justice Department's statement said Thursday's search was part of an ongoing investigation, the Beaver County Times reported.
In a statement released Thursday, following the search, PA Cyber Charter School's chief executive officer Michael J. Conti said the staff have and will continue to cooperate with federal investigators.
"We have told our staff to do their best to concentrate on fulfilling their professional obligations to our students, while making sure that they comply with any further requests from government agencies involved in this investigation," his statement said.
