21 Oct ATTORNEY GENERAL WRIGLEY ANNOUNCES THREE FELONY GUILTY PLEAS BY FAITH DIXON
October 20, 2025
Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210
BISMARCK – Faith Dixon of Fargo, ND pled guilty to three counts of felony theft by deception today in the Morton County Courthouse. The charges arose from Dixon’s fraudulent use of grant program funds administered by the ND Department of Public Instruction. The program issued grant funding for after-school programs to help students who had been disproportionally affected by Covid-19 school closures. Dixon was approved for up to $350,000 in grant funding for the “Faith 4 Hope” after-school program. However, the Department of Public Instruction became concerned after the initial disbursements revealed significant conflicts of interest in violation of the grant program provisions. The majority of recipients of the grant funding were family members of Faith Dixon. Further investigation revealed concerns as to whether the after-school program was even operating.
After accepting Dixon’s guilty pleas to all three felony counts, District Court Judge Bobbi Weiler ordered Dixon to appear in court at a later date for sentencing. At that time, the state will recommend a felony sentence with 11 months to be served behind bars. The defense will recommend a sentence of 4 months incarceration and a misdemeanor by disposition. The State and defense agree that Faith Dixon will be responsible for $775 in court costs and must serve three years of supervised probation following her jail term. While on probation, Dixon will be required to remain law-abiding while paying restitution. Restitution will be determined at a later hearing, but the State anticipates restitution in excess of $100,000.
“I commend the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction” said Attorney General Drew Wrigley, “The DPI works hard to support strong programs for students while also making sure public dollars are spent responsibly and with accountability. We all want to ensure the money is being used to benefit children who participate in after-school programs, and this criminal prosecution should serve as a deterrent to others who might try to use these funds unlawfully.”
This case was investigated by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction and the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation. It was prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General, Jeremy Ensrud, Criminal Division Director.
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