JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A day after FBI and IRS agents raided the Jacksonville office of Duval Teachers United, there are still a lot more questions than answers about what federal crime the agencies were investigating, and who is the target.
FBI and IRS agents arrived at the Duval Teachers United building off Atlantic Boulevard on Wednesday morning and left several hours later carrying boxes of business materials, paperwork and computer equipment.
In one of the photos shared by the Florida Times-Union, a box of evidence is clearly labeled “DTU Credit Card statements.”
News4JAX has heard from various sources that federal investigators are looking into how the union that represents public school teachers and employees in Duval County has been handling its money and the raid involves the potential misappropriation of funds.
It was business as usual on Thursday inside Duval Teachers United where inside employees of the private nonprofit told News4JAX they continue to work to provide the best education for all Duval County teachers and students.
“We continue to be focused on upholding our mission of supporting our members and the students we serve. We are fully cooperating with authorities and anticipate a full and thorough assessment of the facts. To respect the integrity of the process we will not discuss any further details,” DTU said in a statement.
The federal investigation caught everyone off guard.
“I’m baffled by it, I’m absolutely baffled by it, I was astonished,” said one member of DTU who asked to remain anonymous.
The woman said she’s been pleased with the work they’ve been doing to improve both students’ and teachers’ learning conditions. Possible criminal activity is the last thing she expected.
″I was shocked because they usually represent us really well, we don’t know. We will find out,” she said.
It remains unclear what the scope of the investigation is, and who federal authorities suspect of committing a crime.
News4JAX spoke with Attorney Hank Cox who showed up Wednesday at the Duval Teachers United building. He would not say who he was representing and what the allegations were.