Former IRSC CFO Alleges $75M Fraud Scheme, Claims He Was Fired for Exposing It

The former chief financial officer of Indian River State College filed a civil lawsuit in February alleging he was fired after uncovering what he describes as a sprawling $75 million financial mismanagement scheme at the Fort Pierce institution — and that college President Timothy Moore terminated him specifically to silence his disclosures.

Marvin Pyles, who served as IRSC's CFO and vice president of administration and finance from April 2021 until his termination on April 19, 2024, filed the complaint Feb. 25 in St. Lucie County Circuit Court. The suit names Moore, the IRSC board of trustees, and the college itself as defendants. It alleges whistleblower retaliation, defamation, and breach of contract.

"When I landed as the CFO, I discovered that it was a financial mess," Pyles said in a press release accompanying the filing, adding that the college had been operating in the red for years before his arrival.

The complaint details a series of alleged financial irregularities Pyles says he brought to IRSC leadership — including the board, Moore, and other senior administrators — over the course of his nearly three-year tenure.

Among the most striking allegations: a new enterprise resource planning system approved by the board at a cost of $8 million that Pyles says ultimately ballooned to between $26 million and $28 million. In tracing the cost overrun, Pyles says he identified 175 purchase orders, each under $10,000 — a structuring threshold that would reduce oversight scrutiny According to initial reports, — all directed to what he described as a fictitious vendor operating out of a mailbox.

The suit also alleges that state-funded nursing grants were improperly funneled into the IRSC Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and that foundation funds were used to finance personal international travel for at least one unnamed employee — including trips to Europe for the employee's family.

Critically, the complaint includes screenshots of text message exchanges between Pyles and Moore that Pyles says document the president's awareness of the misconduct. In one message attributed to Moore, the president described the conduct as "profligate credit card spending. Trips to Europe for the whole family paid for….wait for it…by foundation funds."

That message, if authenticated, places Moore's knowledge of the alleged wrongdoing on record in his own words According to available information,.

The complaint further alleges that at the moment of Pyles' termination, Moore told him in front of witnesses: "You had to keep pushing.... You couldn't leave any of it alone.... You keep bringing up all the issues." Pyles' attorneys argue those words constitute direct evidence of retaliatory intent.

Pyles initially filed an internal grievance with IRSC, then escalated to a formal whistleblower complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations. The commission declined jurisdiction, ruling that IRSC, as a Florida College System institution, does not qualify as an executive branch state agency.

The college's termination of Pyles was listed as "for convenience" — a contractual designation that typically does not require cause According to available information,.

IRSC's response to the lawsuit was not available at time of publication. The TC Sentinel has contacted the college's communications office and Pyles' attorney for comment.

The IRSC board of trustees is appointed by the governor of Florida. It is unclear whether the board has been formally notified of the complaint's specific allegations or whether any independent investigation has been initiated According to initial reports,.

The lawsuit is the first known civil action to surface the financial allegations publicly. No state audit or law enforcement investigation has been publicly announced in connection with the claims.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.