Following a three-month investigation by detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, authorities have charged a Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) basketball coach with embezzlement, police said Oct. 6.
Detectives in July launched an investigation after receiving information from the school system’s Human Resources Section about potential misappropriation of funds by a James Madison High School employee. Detectives conducted an inquiry and conducted interviews as evidence began to accumulate.
According to police, Madison High employee Drew Smerdzinski, 33, of Herndon embezzled money from a school event.
Detectives obtained a warrant for Smerdzinski on Oct. 4 and he turned himself in to police the next day. Authorities charged him with felony embezzlement and released him on an unsecured bond. Smerdzinski has been suspended from his position following the arrest, police said.
