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Bibb schools will get $750K settlement in lawsuit against Culver

That's around 20 percent of the amount that the school district says they lost in a fraudulent $3.7 million computer deal with Culver

The Bibb County School District will receive $750,000 over 10 years after settling part of their lawsuit against Macon businessman Isaac Culver and his company.

That settlement is about 20 percent of the amount that the school district says they lost in a fraudulent deal with Culver's Progressive Technologies Inc.

A record of the settlement was filed in U.S. District Court on July 9 -- two weeks before a federal jury convicted Culver of 13 fraud and money laundering charges.

He faces up to 20 years in federal prison on each count.

RELATED: Macon businessman Isaac Culver found guilty of defrauding Bibb Co. Schools out of $3.7 million

The settlement was part of a massive civil lawsuit filed by the Bibb school district against more than a dozen people and companies.

It affects only Culver, his partner Dave Carty and their company.

RELATED: Two men charged with defrauding Bibb schools on computer sales

The portions of the lawsuit targeting former Bibb school superintendent Romain Dallemand, businessman Cliffard Whitby and others is still pending.

CULVER, CARTY OFFER A $100,000 'IOU'

Here's how the settlement agreement breaks down their deal:

  • Culver and Carty's Progressive Technologies Inc.will pay the school district $100,000;
  • Their insurance company, United States Liability Insurance Co., will pay Bibb $600,000;
  • Progressive will give the school district a promissory note -- basically, an IOU -- for $100,00. They agree to pay the school district $833.33 a month for the next 10 years.

The settlement describes the $750,000 payment as a "compromise" of their dispute with Culver's company and says Culver and Carty still deny any guilt.

If Bibb school officials discussed the settlement without noting that the Progressive defendants deny any liability, that would violate their agreement and the district could be liable for damages.

RELATED: Deceased Bibb schools tech director 'testifies' in federal fraud trial

MASSIVE LAWSUIT STILL PENDING

The lawsuit accuses Dallemand, Culver, Carty, businessman Cliffard Whitby and others of defrauding the district of more than $7 million.

The district argues that Dallemand pushed through purchases for computers and software by violating school procedures and bidding laws and deceived other school officials about what he was doing.

RELATED: Defense lawyer in fraud case blames Dallemand for computer foulups

The lawsuit, filed in 2016, accuses Dallemand, Whitby and others of operating as a racketeering-corrupt organization.

Court records list at least 19 lawyers involved in the case and, so far, nearly 300 documents are filed in the case, including motions, notices, orders, letters and memos. No court date has been set.

The massive lawsuit is just one of several legal cases that resulted from Dallemand's two years as superintendent.

Culver's conviction closes one of them, but several other are still pending.

Here's more on the status of those cases.

DAVE CARTY STILL AWAITING TRIAL

Culver's business parter, Carty, is still awaiting trial on the same case.

Like Culver, he faces more than a dozen fraud and money-laundering charges.

Judge Marc Treadwell decided this month to try the two men separately.

No trial date has been set for Carty.

WHITBY'S BRIBERY CHARGES STILL PENDING

Cliffard Whitby and a Florida lawyer, Harold Knowles, are both accused of paying Romain Dallemand $437,400 in bribes, starting in 2011.

RELATED: Authority links $2 million bogus billing to former chairman Whitby

Whitby is charged with conspiracy, five counts of paying bribes; and money laundering.

Whitby allegedly bribed Bibb County school Supt. Romain Dallemand to provide school-district support for the Macon Promise Neighborhood -- a federally funded program aimed at boosting student achievement by improving the quality of life in Macon neighborhoods.

RELATED: A six-year conspiracy: Whitby paid Dallemand more than $461K in bribes, indictment says

Knowles, a Tallahassee, Fla. lawyer, allegedly passed the bribes from Whitby to Dallemand, who resigned from the Bibb County job in 2013.

Whitby is free on bond in that case, and his trial is scheduled for Sept. 24.

DALLEMAND AWAITS SENTENCING ON TAX FRAUD

Meanwhile, Dallemand is awaiting sentencing on tax-fraud charges, and federal prosecutors say he is expected to testify against Whitby later this year.

RELATED: Former Bibb superintendent pleads guilty to tax evasion, taking $100k bribe

Last August, Dallemand admitted that he filed a false tax return to the IRS in 2012, which under-reported his income and over-reported his deductions. Those false tax returns were connected to bribes in the Whitby case, according to court documents.

Dallemand faces up to three years in federal prison.

But a motion filed by federal prosecutors in January says, "Dallemand has been cooperating with the government."

Dallemand testified this week as a prosecution witness in Culver's trial and is expected to testify against Whitby as well.

RELATED: Dallemand takes stand as witness in federal fraud case

Prosecutors in Florida want to put off his sentencing until at least Oct. 8, when they say the Whitby trial will be completed.

But a federal judge re-scheduled Dallemand's sentencing to Oct. 1 in Fort Myers.

RELATED: Dallemand's sentencing postponed until after he testifies in two trials

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