JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two former leaders of the Duval County teachers union are now in federal custody.
Thursday was the deadline for former Duval Teachers United president “Terrie” Brady and former vice president Ruby George to report to their designated federal prison to begin serving their sentences for fraud.
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The two admitted to a fraud scheme that prosecutors said drained millions of dollars from teachers over nearly a decade. They were sentenced in February.
Brady was given 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and George was given 12 months and 1 day in custody, plus six months on home confinement and three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Prisons website now shows that Brady is at FCI Marianna in the Florida panhandle. The BOP shows that George is at FMC (Federal Medical Center) Carswell, in Fort Worth, Texas.
At sentencing, the judge said the court would make recommendations to the BOP that Brady be assigned to the closest facility to Jacksonville that had a minimum security prison camp.
The recommendation for George was the closest facility to Jacksonville that had a minimum security prison camp that met George’s medical needs. FMC Carswell does have a minimum security satellite camp.
Before sentencing the pair, the judge condemned Brady and George for repeatedly stealing for over a decade from the organization they were meant to serve, betraying people who trusted them.
The judge called the crime “just a decision to steal on a regular basis ... for 10 years.”
DTU represents about 6,500 Duval County school employees, most of whom pay dues straight out of their paychecks. The union brings in about $5 million a year, largely from those dues paid by teachers and school staff across Duval County.
While acknowledging the many letters praising Brady and George’s dedication and good deeds, the judge emphasized that the sentencing had to remain focused on justice and accountability.
Brady and George both presented messages to the judge during the hearing.
Brady said in an emotional plea to the courtroom that this was something she never imagined. She took accountability for her actions and acknowledged the hurt and shame she brought to DTU.
“I failed,“ Brady said through tears. “Because of my actions, I have lost their trust. They do deserve better. I hurt the employees of the union who counted on me to lead the organization. [...] I hurt my friends and my family, bringing them into my circle of shame.”
George also spoke, giving a strong and emotional delivery.
“I would like to say to this court, I was taught from my earliest memory, that every road has an end somewhere, and I always believed this, I don’t know how I got off track, I don’t know. It boggles my mind, after all of my 80-something years, did I get to this point? How did I get here? I’m in no way trying to justify my actions,” George said.
She asked the court for mercy and compassion.
“I regret my involvement, again, ask for a second chance. Regret I didn’t speak up. I ask that the court take my physical health into consideration,” she pleaded.
In January 2025, prosecutors announced a variety of fraud charges against Brady and George. Investigators believe the scheme succeeded for so long because of how carefully it was hidden.
According to the indictment, Brady and George sold unearned leave time back to the union, enabling each to pocket more than $1 million.
In 2010, the union’s auditor noted the financial liability that Brady and George’s large amounts of unused leave time represented for the union, and urged them to either take the vacation days or sell the time back to the union when the union had the funds available, which she began doing.
But the memo notes that, according to an analysis by the government, around 2013, she had used up all of the leave that she had accrued. While she was still legitimately accruing leave at that point – she was still cashing in leave like she used to do, but at this point, some of the leave she was cashing in had not actually been earned.
The indictment said Brady and George withheld the fraudulent activity from the DTU’s auditors by signing each other’s checks, hid the payments from the DTU’s Secretary/Treasurer, and withheld the funds from Florida’s Public Employee Relations Committee (PERC) in required yearly financial statements.
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Brady was also charged with two counts of money laundering.
In October, Brady pleaded guilty to four of the charges she faced, including wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering.
“I accept full responsibility for my actions and their consequences,” Brady wrote in a statement at the time to News4JAX. “I am truly sorry for my wrongdoing and the harm I caused to Duval Teachers United (DTU) and its members. Understanding the seriousness of my offenses, I accept the outcome with humility and sincere remorse while deeply regretting breaching the trust placed in me by DTU, my community and my family.”
George pleaded guilty in August to three counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aiding and abetting wire fraud, and aiding and abetting mail fraud.