A federal grand jury indicted a former Garland ISD special-education teacher on charges he used a fake identity to get hired at another North Texas school district.
Garland ISD, which serves Sachse families along with Garland and Rowlett, fired Michael Raymond Roell after his June 2016 arrest in Dallas County on a charge of indecency with a child involving sexual contact. A Dallas County jury later acquitted him, The Dallas Morning News reported. But federal prosecutors now allege Roell used that firing as the starting point for a years-long deception.
The seven-count indictment, announced Sept. 18 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, also charges Wendy Bailey, former principal of Crosby Elementary School in Forney ISD. Each defendant faces one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
Prosecutors allege Roell, encouraged by Bailey, legally changed his name to Johnathan Michael and applied to Forney ISD without disclosing his former identity, the 2016 charge or his disciplinary history. Forney ISD officials have said fingerprint checks under the new name did not flag the previous case.
"Principal Bailey coached Roell on how that name change would evade a background check," U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said at a Sept. 18 news conference, according to CBS Texas.
Bailey allegedly used her position to promote Roell's candidacy and help move his falsified application through the hiring process. The indictment cites emails, text messages and employment documents that prosecutors say show the two coordinated the effort.
Roell was hired in October 2025 as a special-education teacher at Crosby Elementary, earning about $67,700 a year. Federal prosecutors say two teacher's aides reported concerns about Roell's conduct with a student to Bailey in April 2026.
A student's parents contacted Forney ISD police in April, according to court records. Texas Rangers arrested Roell in late May on state charges that other reporting has described as injury to a child and child grooming. Bailey was arrested in late July on state charges including endangering a child and failure to report.
Both defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Roell has been in federal custody since Aug. 27. Attorneys for Roell and Bailey have not commented publicly on the indictment.
Forney ISD reached a settlement with federal prosecutors over allegations that it falsely certified compliance with mandatory reporting laws while seeking federal special education funding. Forney ISD said the settlement was not an admission of liability.
The case is being prosecuted under Project Safe Schools, a federal initiative targeting failures to report educator misconduct. No trial date has been announced.
