2 More Educators in the South Are Charged in Test Cheating

A test cheating ring that spanned 15 years across three Southern states ensnared two more educators this week.

Federal prosecutors in Memphis announced that they had indicted James Sales, 39, a teacher in Memphis, and Corey A. Holmes, 36, of Greenville, Miss., on conspiracy charges of mail, wire and Social Security fraud.

Prosecutors say the men paid Clarence Mumford Sr., a former teacher and assistant principal in Memphis, to arrange for stand-ins to take teacher certification exams on their behalf, using false identification. Mr. Mumford, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated theft in February, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison last month. {snip}

Mr. Mumford’s son, Clarence Jr., was sentenced Friday to eight months of home confinement. He was found guilty of using a ringer to take a test.

The exams, which are taken by people who are seeking a teaching license or credentials in a particular subject, are administered by the Educational Testing Service. Mr. Mumford Sr. hired a group of teachers to sit for exams for others who feared they could not pass on their own.

Edward L. Stanton III, the United States attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced on Friday that he had signed agreements with 16 other teachers who had either paid for someone else to take an exam or accepted payment from Mr. Mumford to take certification tests for others.

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