RALEIGH - Harold Ray Estes, the only person to go to trial in connection with the Wake school transportation scandal, was convicted of fraud and conspiracy late Friday. He was sentenced to between 11 and 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

A Wake County jury found Estes, 61, guilty of both obtaining property in excess of $100,000 by false pretenses and conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses.

"This entire thing was one great big scheme that defrauded the school system out of about $4 million," said Wake District Attorney Colon Willoughby, who prosecuted the case. "I think the fact that Harold Estes benefited personally -- $100,000, $250,000 worth -- over and above all the property, probably weighed heavily on the jury."

Estes was among seven people who were charged in the fake-invoice scheme. Estes was the only one implicated who was neither an employee of the school district nor of Barnes Motor & Parts Co., and he probably will serve more time than the central figures in the case -- all of whom pleaded guilty.

Estes' wife, Connie Capps, a former Raleigh store manager for Barnes, has pleaded guilty to her role and awaits sentencing.

Former school transportation director Vern Hatley is serving a prison sentence of seven to 10 years.

Employees of the school district and the parts company exchanged phony invoices in a scam that took $4 million from taxpayers. Willoughby argued that more than $500,000 ran through the personal account of Estes. According to evidence in the case, Estes wrote checks to buy luxury items for others involved in the fraud -- and kept between $140,000 and $200,000.

"There was no reasonable doubt that he was guilty on both counts," said juror Ana Twine of Raleigh.

Twine said financial records presented by the state -- including checks signed by Estes -- convinced jurors of his guilt.

Raleigh defense lawyer David Long, who represented Estes, called no witnesses to the stand. Long said that although Estes knew money was appearing in his account, he did not know the money was the result of a scheme to defraud the school system. Long also maintained that his client was charged with the wrong offense.

Estes did not address Wake Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Donald Stephens before his sentencing.

After the sentencing, Long insisted that Estes thought the money was coming from Barnes.

"Was it commercial bribery? Maybe. But it's not a false pretense against the schools and it's not a conspiracy to commit a false pretense," Long said.

Long added that Estes' family was deeply disappointed and that the sentence amounts to life in prison for the diabetic man.

The trial began Tuesday with jury selection and the testimony of two women who worked in the school transportation department.

Willoughby called several "cooperating witnesses" who have pleaded guilty in the scheme but decided not to call Capps.

The school district has recovered more than $4.8 million in restitution and fines from those who benefited from the scheme. And earlier this year, Barnes pleaded guilty to obtaining property by false pretenses and agreed to repay more than $4 million.

Willoughby said Estes risked such a stiff sentence by refusing the state's offer to plead guilty. That would have shown that Estes accepted responsibility for his role and was willing to cooperate with the state's investigation, the prosecutor added.

Long said his client didn't know anything about how the scheme was constructed and could not have helped prosecutors.

Willoughby said the sentencings of Capps, former Barnes regional manager Bobby Joe Browder Jr., former transportation department budget analyst Carol Dail Finch as well as transportation employees Angela Malloy-Sanders and Pamela Allen Stewart, will resolve the criminal case.

"I don't anticipate any new indictments," the prosecutor said. "We hope that the school system will be able to close this chapter and move on with educating children and not have to worry about this."

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