Oklahoma's EPIC Virtual Charter School: Too Much Money, Too Fast, and More, by Mercedes Schneider

Oklahoma officials have charged the EPIC online charter with fraud, alleging that its leaders siphoned off $10 million for themselves while inflating enrollments of ghost students. Schneider's  investigation uncovers the story,  that the corporation was created in 2009 for a variety of purposes, but not education. It eventually amended its filing to add education. In other words, the founders were entrepreneurs in search of a mark. In 2010, it had revenue of $60,000. After it went into the charter business, EPIC hit pay dirt. In 2016, it’s revenues exceeded $29 million.  The search warrant alleges that, between 2013 and 2018, EPIC  co-founders Chaney and Harris unlawfully received $10 million in profits from Epic Youth Services  and split the total.  using dressed-up audits and anemic tax forms,  using   this charter school as a revenue stream, nothing more.”