Harris County reindicts four in teacher certification cheating scheme

Nearly two years after the case first surfaced, Harris County prosecutors reindicted four people accused of helping run a pay-to-pass teacher certification ring that sent shock waves through Houston schools and left 163 educators under state review.

The new grand jury action names Vincent Grayson, Nicholas Newton, Tywana Gilford Mason and Darian Nikole Wilhite, and drops the case against LaShonda Roberts. Grayson, a longtime Booker T. Washington High School boys basketball coach, had been identified as the alleged organizer. Newton worked as an assistant principal at Booker T. Washington, Roberts at Yates High School, Mason at the Houston Training and Education Center, and Wilhite as a proctor at a TACTIX testing center.

Prosecutors said the scheme dates to May 2020, shortly after the pandemic began. Candidates allegedly paid about $2,500 for someone else to take their certification exam, and investigators later said the operation may have reached as many as 400 people and generated about $1 million in profits. The main testing site tied to the scam was later shut down because of suspicious activity.

The fallout has stretched far beyond the criminal case. By December 2024, the Texas Education Agency had released the names of more than 100 teachers under investigation. By February 2025, that number had climbed to 163, with 25 of 60 additional names tied to the Houston area. The list included teachers who had worked in Houston ISD, Aldine, Alvin, Conroe, Cypress-Fairbanks, Fort Bend, Galena Park, Katy, Pearland, Spring and Spring Branch.

Houston ISD called the conduct a complete betrayal of public trust and said it would cooperate with the Texas Education Agency and law enforcement, removing any employees linked to the case from duty. The agency has said it expects more investigations as new information comes in. Prosecutors also said at least two teachers who allegedly bought fake certification help later faced additional criminal allegations involving crimes against children, underscoring how a testing fraud case can spill into broader safety concerns for districts trying to keep certified teachers in front of students.