Guilty Plea Unsealed for Former DC Public Schools Administrator Involved in Bribery Scheme

WASHINGTON - Tracy Hatton, 60, of the District of Columbia, a former administrative officer at McKinley Technology High School, pleaded guilty to bribery in connection with a scheme that caused a loss to the District of Columbia government of more than $40,000, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. The plea was unsealed today in U.S. District Court.

According to court documents, Hatton was an administrative officer for McKinley, a unit of the District of Columbia Public Schools, and was responsible for managing the school's supply budget, selecting and awarding vendor contracts, and approving invoices for payment.

Beginning in or about October 2020 and continuing until about September 2023, Hatton accepted cash bribes from a contractor identified in court papers as Contractor 1, the owner of an approved D.C. Supply Schedule vendor, in exchange for using her official position to benefit that vendor.

In exchange for the bribes, Hatton issued purchase orders to the contractor and approved payment for goods that were never delivered to McKinley, including fraudulent invoices for inflated and under-delivered orders. Hatton also directed the contractor to fraudulently charge her government-issued purchase card for supplies that were never provided. On some occasions, Hatton accepted additional cash payments from the contractor that did not derive from fraudulently obtained DCPS funds, in exchange for steering additional business to the contractor.

In total, Hatton personally profited by at least $30,000. Because the payments to Hatton were made in cash, the total loss to D.C. Public Schools is difficult to identify. Hatton pleaded guilty to bribery on Nov. 10, 2025. Sentencing is set for Nov. 5, 2026.

The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Howland of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section. The matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General.

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