A former Texas primary school principal and a teacher have been indicted over an alleged scheme to conceal the teacher’s history of child abuse accusations and bypass employment checks.
Wendy Bailey, formerly principal of Crosby Elementary School, is accused of helping Michael Raymond Roell change his name and secure a special education teaching post with Forney Independent School District, near Dallas.
A federal grand jury indicted both defendants on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud each. Prosecutors allege their actions enabled Roell to return to a classroom serving vulnerable children.
The indictment alleges that Roell legally changed his name to Johnathan Michael before applying for the job. His application is said to have omitted his former identity, criminal charges, alleged misconduct and disciplinary record.
Bailey allegedly encouraged the name change and used her position to support his application, taking part in communications that helped it progress through the hiring process. Investigators say emails, text messages and employment documents show the pair coordinating to conceal information that might have prevented his appointment.
“Principal Bailey coached Roell on how that name change would evade a background check,” Ryan Raybould, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said at a news conference announcing the charges.
Alleged history of misconduct
Roell was arrested in Dallas County on June 6, 2016, and charged with indecency with a child involving sexual conduct while working for Garland Independent School District.
Prosecutors say he had been accused of touching at least one pupil in the groin area and watching the child use the toilet. He was subsequently dismissed by Garland ISD.
They also allege that Roell had been placed on leave several times over abuse-related accusations while working in other school districts. Bailey is accused of knowing about that history but helping to hide it when he later sought employment at her school.
Roell was hired under his new legal name in October 2025 to teach special education at Crosby Elementary School, earning about 67,700 dollars a year. He remained in the classroom for only a few months.
In May 2026, Texas Rangers arrested him on separate state charges of felony child abuse and grooming. Authorities said that arrest led to the federal investigation resulting in the latest indictment.
Prosecutors stressed that the federal case concerns the alleged concealment of Roell’s past during the hiring process, rather than determining his guilt in relation to the earlier allegations.
“The allegations in this indictment represent a profound violation of trust,” Mr Raybould said. “A school is supposed to be a place where children are safe and protected, not a place where an educator with a known history of misconduct can walk back into a classroom because someone in a position of authority helped him hide who he really was – a predator that targets special needs children.”
R Joseph Rothrock, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Dallas, said the indictment showed the lengths the defendants allegedly went to in order to circumvent safeguards intended to protect pupils.
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that students not only receive a good education, but that education is provided in a safe environment,” he said.
Roell has been in federal custody since August 27, according to authorities. If convicted, both defendants could face up to 20 years in prison and the potential forfeiture of proceeds connected to the alleged offences.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Dallas Field Office with Homeland Security Investigations Dallas and the Texas Rangers. The prosecution forms part of Project Safe Schools, a federal initiative targeting failures to report educator misconduct and the practice of allowing teachers with troubling records to move between districts without their full history being disclosed.
