A former elementary school principal allegedly helped a teacher with a troubling record of child-abuse accusations change his name and bypass hiring checks before he secured a position teaching vulnerable special-needs students.

Wendy Bailey, the former principal of Crosby Elementary School, is accused of assisting Michael Raymond Roell—who had begun using the name Johnathan Michael—in hiding earlier criminal charges and disciplinary issues before he was hired by Forney Independent School District near Dallas, Texas.

Federal prosecutors allege the scheme allowed Roell to return to an elementary classroom as a special education teacher, a role that paid approximately $67,700 annually.

A federal grand jury indicted Bailey and Roell on Thursday, charging each with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud.

According to prosecutors, the pair deliberately worked to circumvent safeguards intended to keep educators with serious misconduct allegations or disciplinary histories from returning to schools.

“The allegations in this indictment represent a profound violation of trust,” Ryan Raybould, the US attorney for the Northern District of Texas, 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.”

The allegations outlined by prosecutors date back nearly a decade.

On June 6, 2016, Roell was arrested in Dallas County and charged with indecency with a child involving sexual contact after allegations arose concerning a student at Garland Independent School District, where he was employed.

Prosecutors allege he touched at least one student in the groin area and watched the child use a restroom. Garland ISD later terminated him.

The indictment states that Roell’s employment record contained other warning signs as well.

While working in other school districts, he was allegedly placed on leave several times in connection with abuse-related allegations, prosecutors said.

Bailey allegedly knew about that history. Rather than disclose it when Roell later applied for a position at her school, prosecutors claim she helped him keep it hidden.

“Principal Bailey coached Roell on how that name change would evade a background check,” Raybould said at a news conference announcing the charges.

The indictment says Roell legally changed his name from Michael Raymond Roell to Johnathan Michael before applying for a job with Forney ISD.

With Bailey’s alleged encouragement, prosecutors say, he submitted an application that left out his former identity, criminal charges, alleged misconduct and disciplinary record.

Bailey allegedly used her position as principal to champion his candidacy and participated in hiring communications that helped propel the application through the process.

RELATED: Man Charged Over Alleged Fatal Stabbing of Woman at Bondi Beach Unit

Federal investigators say emails, text messages and employment documents reveal the pair coordinating to conceal information that could have prevented Roell from being hired.

‘This indictment demonstrates the lengths these two defendants went to circumvent a hiring process meant to keep our schools and students safe,’ FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said.

‘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.’

The alleged scheme succeeded.

In October 2025, Roell – under his new legal name – was hired to teach special education at Crosby Elementary School. But his return to the classroom lasted only months.

In May 2026, Texas Rangers arrested Roell on separate state charges of felony child abuse and grooming.

That arrest ultimately led to the federal investigation that resulted in the latest indictment, authorities said.

Federal prosecutors stressed that the new charges against Bailey and Roell concern the alleged concealment of Roell’s prior history during the hiring process rather than determining his guilt over the underlying allegations themselves.

But Raybould accused the pair of putting children in danger by allegedly circumventing protections specifically designed to keep troubling histories from being hidden.

‘This office will use every tool available to aggressively prosecute anyone who compromises the safety of children or undermines the integrity of our public institutions,’ Raybould said.

‘These individuals did not just conspire to break the law, they actively and maliciously put children at risk.’

Roell has been in federal custody since August 27, according to authorities.

If convicted of the federal charges, both Roell and Bailey face sentences of up to 20 years in prison as well as the potential forfeiture of proceeds connected to the alleged offenses.

The FBI’s Dallas Field Office led the investigation alongside Homeland Security Investigations Dallas and the Texas Rangers. 

Authorities say the prosecution is part of Project Safe Schools, a federal initiative aimed at exposing failures to report educator misconduct and preventing potentially dangerous teachers from quietly moving from one school district to another.

Officials have described that practice as ‘passing the trash’ – situations in which educators with known misconduct problems are able to secure jobs elsewhere without their complete history following them.

The initiative is intended to enforce mandatory reporting requirements, increase transparency surrounding investigations of educators and hold administrators and school districts accountable when required safeguards allegedly fail.

Saudi Arabia said Saturday that Yemen’s Houthi rebels had launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh, marking the first reported attempt to strike the capital since fighting intensified with the Iran-backed group and opened a new front in the Iran war.

The Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis issued its statement hours after the pre-dawn attack, saying its air defenses had intercepted the missile.

Some Riyadh residents reported hearing an explosion, while others later saw a column of smoke rising near the airport.

Authorities reported no casualties or property damage.

The coalition also said Houthi forces had attempted to strike civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port of Yanbu, the terminus of a major Saudi oil pipeline, as well as targets in Taif, Baysh and Farasan. It provided no additional details.

Earlier, the Houthis claimed without presenting evidence that they had hit “sensitive sites” in Riyadh and Saudi oil giant Aramco’s facilities in Yanbu, allegedly triggering “massive fires.”

Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The widening conflict near another critical international shipping route is adding fresh uncertainty for global markets.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the group used cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones in the attacks.

Saree also accused Saudi Arabia of trying to strike Sanaa, the rebel-held capital of neighboring Yemen, but offered no details. The Associated Press could not independently verify either side’s claims.

The latest incidents follow a series of sharp escalations in recent days.

On Thursday, Saudi civil defense officials reported the first civilian death, saying debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed a Yemeni resident of Saudi Arabia.

A day earlier, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a Houthi drone targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, and described protecting the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad as a “red line.” The Houthis strongly rejected the allegation.

The United States, a close Saudi partner, has indicated that it is not currently engaged in a fight with the Houthis.

Regional officials told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia is running short of missile interceptors and has sought air-defense assistance from France, Britain, Pakistan and Egypt.

At the same time, battles have intensified inside Yemen between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government.

More than a week ago, Houthi forces advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, capturing the strategic port of Mokha and islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the Red Sea’s southern entrance.

The gains have strengthened the rebels’ ability to monitor ships passing through the waterway, although the Houthis say their attacks are limited to Saudi vessels.

The renewed fighting in Yemen represents a return to a devastating civil war after four years of relative calm.