CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West
Virginia Ethics Commission issued a public reprimand and assessed a $2,000 fine
as part of a Conciliation (settlement) Agreement approved on Thursday,
September 6, 2018.
Marcella Charles-Casto, Assistant
Principal at Mingo Central Comprehensive High School, admitted that she
violated the West Virginia Governmental Ethics Act by
using her public position for her own private gain and by removing government
property from the workplace for her private benefit. She admitted that
she had purchased table cloths and chair covers, bands and sash slips in early
2016 with the Mingo County Board of Education’s BB&T Purchasing Card.
She used 194 of those items at her
May 21, 2016, wedding in Tennessee. All but 10 of those items had never
been used at the school and, therefore, were new when
used at the wedding. After using the items at her wedding, Charles-Casto
returned the items to Mingo Central Comprehensive High School at some point in time.
Charles-Casto also was ordered to
undergo training on the Ethics Act as part of the settlement of the ethics
complaint against her.
The Conciliation Agreement may be
viewed on the Commission’s website at ethics.wv.gov.