FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A former Indian River State College administrator is blowing the whistle, filing a lawsuit against the school's current leadership, alleging systemic waste, fraud, abuse and corruption.
Marvin Pyles claims the financial mismanagement is costing Florida taxpayers millions of dollars. Pyles was hired as chief financial officer in 2021 and told WPTV he had a mandate to balance the struggling budget.
"What I uncovered was a financial mess," Pyles said. "The enrollment had been in decline. ... The fund balance was depleted, and so I had to start the job of trying to recover the finances of the college."
Pyles shared his performance reviews with me, dating back to his first in 2021. Each one praised his efforts to correct the college's financial issues. His final review, signed by Moore two months before Pyles was fired, read: "Doctor Pyles is a gifted senior administrator who has dramatically improved the college's financial position."
As he learned more about why the school's finances were so fraught and tried to correct them, Pyles claims he was fired in retaliation.
"The fact that there was fraud, waste, abuse of taxpayer and donor dollars is not the question here," Pyles said, citing years of state audits, which WPTV reviewed. "What the problem is, is the exposure of this and the board's determination to keep this concealed."
In his whistleblower lawsuit filed against the college, President Timothy Moore, and members of the Board of Trustees, Pyles alleges he followed the proper channels to report financial mismanagement. He claims this included the misuse of state grants and donor funds, poor oversight and ethical breaches.
READ THE FULL LAWSUIT BELOW:
When WPTV asked Pyles for specifics, he sent us a PowerPoint presentation. He said it was the first of several he created and presented to campus leadership, examining the college's general fund and foundation.
"I detailed exactly what happened," Pyles said. "Fake mailboxes, stacking of purchase orders — then I got into the foundation, where they literally were not even doing expense reports and paying for European trips, cruises, expensive dinners."
Pyles also shared text messages he said he received from Moore, which appear to acknowledge some of the alleged misconduct. The messages mention the European trips and millions of dollars pulled from the foundation to cover budget deficits.
"I have a fiduciary responsibility to the college and to the taxpayers. I take it very seriously," Pyles said.
WPTV asked Indian River State College to discuss the allegations.
"Indian River State College does not comment on pending litigation. Dr. Pyles has raised the same complaints in other forums and each time has been unsuccessful," said Kathleen Walter, the spokeswoman for IRSC.
That statement tracks with the story Pyles shared with WPTV. He filed an administrative whistleblower complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations about four months after he was fired. The commission dismissed the complaint, saying it was untimely and that the commission didn't have jurisdiction to investigate a state college.
WPTV reached out to members of the Board of Trustees, who told us their lawyer advised them not to comment on the allegations. WPTV asked their lawyer to comment on the board’s behalf, but did not get a response.
WPTV started asking questions about the college's finances in March 2024 when the women's basketball program was cut mid-season. The school called it a money-saving move at the time.
"I was in the room when that decision was made," Pyles said.
This was about a year after Pyles told WPTV that he submitted the college's first balanced budget in more than 30 years. While WPTV could not independently verify that specific claim, we did report two years ago that the school’s finances were getting back on track, based on state audits.
Pyles is currently representing himself in the lawsuit, alleging retaliation under the Public Sector Whistleblower Act, breach of his employment contract and defamation. At last check on Tuesday afternoon, the defendants have not filed anything in response.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.