Back in 2020, former assistant dean of admissions at Texas Southern’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Edward Rene, was charged with theft by a public servant, for allegedly devising a scholarship scheme that netted him ~$74,000. But that’s far from the only legal problem the one-time dean is facing.
As reported by KTRK News, he’s also facing charges he induced a minor to engage in sexual acts. Court documents reveal the incident took place in June of 2018, and that pictures of the alleged crime exist.
The alleged victim was not associated with TSU, but Rene was an employee of the university at the time of the allegations.
The university offered the following statement on the new charges:
“Edward Rene is a former TSU employee who was immediately reported to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office after learning of the financial allegations against him. TSU representatives were not made aware of any other illegal conduct,” a spokesperson said in a statement to ABC13.
Those financial allegations concern the scholarship scheme which allegedly saw him offer scholarships to two students, but the students received funds in excess of the scholarship amounts. The students were then allegedly instructed to reimburse the extra money — via checks, cashier’s checks, or money orders… made payable to Rene.
Rene’s attorney has not commented on the additional charges. His next court date is scheduled for March 2023.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
