Posted on: August 22, 2025, 12:36h.
Last updated on: August 21, 2025, 01:52h.
- The former president of the Maryland PTA is accused of stealing $900K
- Some of the money went to cover gambling expenses, an attorney alleges
- Federal prosecutors are reportedly looking at the claims
Federal prosecutors are reportedly looking into the financial actions of the former president of the since-closed Maryland PTA (Parent Teacher Association).
In a stunning exposé published this week by The Baltimore Sun, long-suspected crook LaTonja Carrera, 51, is accused of swindling more than $900K from the nonprofit that she led from November 2020 until October 2022.
Seth Waxman, an attorney in the nation’s capital and a former federal prosecutor, told the Baltimore newspaper that he was recently asked to turn over documents stemming from an audit he ordered on Carrera and the Maryland PTA in 2022 while he served as a court-appointed receiver. The audit came a year after the National PTA sued Carrera and the Maryland PTA Board of Directors.
Waxman’s complaint joined the National PTA’s lawsuit, which was settled in October 2024. The outcome resulted in the National PTA dissolving the Maryland PTA, which oversaw 800 local PTA chapters and 130K volunteers.
The National PTA has since formed Free State PTA as its only authorized PTA constituency in Maryland.
Gambling Embezzlement
The Baltimore Sun reports that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is now investigating Carrera and the former Maryland PTA board. In May 2023, Carrera was sentenced to 12 months of incarceration for a felony charge of financial exploitation.
Speaking with the Sun, Waxman says he dropped his case against Carrera after determining she would unlikely be able to repay the estimated $900K he believes she stole from the PTA.
Waxman’s commissioned audit found that she took two romantic trips to Las Vegas with her boyfriend, Quincy Gant, totaling $13K.
Waxman’s complaint detailed that she sought magic spells to help her win while playing slot machines. She spent more than $27K on magic spells, including “The Gambler’s Amulet,” the “Slot Machine Gambling Spell,” and the “Bring Me Money Spell.”
They seemingly didn’t work, as the audit found that Carrera withdrew more than $50K on Maryland PTA debit cards through 76 ATM transactions at eight casinos. The casinos included MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill and Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland in Arundel Mills.
Carrera also allegedly gambled on Maryland PTA debit funds at Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia and in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and the since-closed Monte Carlo.
While in Sin City, Carrera and Gant allegedly spent $4,400 on hotel rooms at MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, enjoyed a $375 dinner at the Strat’s Top of the World, and paid $375 for tickets to see the Michael Jackson “One” show.
4-1-1 on PTAs
Parent-teacher associations engage parents with their children’s schooling. Associations typically involve teachers, staff, and parents, who regularly meet to discuss a variety of issues involving the school.
PTAs are part of the National PTA and must pay dues and abide by its guidelines and rules. The National PTA charges $3.25 per PTA member per month. State PTAs typically also charge a monthly fee, with the Free State PTA charging $2.25 per member per month.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
