Patrica Lambert has already pleaded guilty to theft and to being part of a cheating conspiracy while principal at Central Medical Magnet High School, but she disputes the amount of money federal authorities say she stole from the Beaumont Independent School District.
That's why a hearing is being held this week.
Prosecutors estimate the amount is between $250,000 and $500,000, while Lambert's lawyer Alphonso Anderson says it's less than $150,000.
Our 12News crew tried to talk to Lambert Monday evening after day one of the hearing, but Lambert's husband Howard cut our crew off with his car.
Although Lambert did not speak, one of her former employees had plenty to say on the stand. Lori Redeau-Rochelle was a witness for the prosecution Monday.
Rochelle served as director of student activities at Central between 2008 and 2014, during part of Lambert's tenure. Rochelle is currently the registrar at Texarkana College. She said, "It makes me feel bad, Ms. Lambert was my mentor, you know she taught me a lot, she took me under her wing and exposed me to a lot of different aspects of the campus and the district, so it is disheartening that all of this turned out this way."
Rochelle testified about the elaborate parties Lambert would host for the staff, some she says looked like wedding receptions. When it comes to weddings, Beaumont police detective Aaron Lewallen testified Lambert spent almost $1,000 at Mannings for program's to her daughter's wedding. The money came from the student activities account at Central.
According to testimony from Rochelle and Lewallen, Lambert spent thousands of dollars on electronics using money from the Central Booster Club and the student activities account.
According to school paperwork Lambert claimed they were prizes for senior students at Project Graduation, but Rochelle testified most of it was not given to students, and more disturbing to Rochelle is that her signature was forged on vouchers and checks for those purchases.
Rochelle said, "In a way, I had to defend myself because that was my name on there, it was misspelled but it was still my name, I was over all those activities, so I had to set the record straight, for myself and to let everyone know I wasn't misappropriating any of those funds. Everything I was doing was for the students."
Anderson says that's what his client was doing too, looking after students. He told us, "A lot of the items that were given out by Lambert weren't kept , they're not at her house, she's not sitting on 30 IPads, they were given out to students and faculty and staff."
He went on to say, "She accepts responsibility that she didn't properly manage the funds in a way that gave clear understanding of when the resources were spent and where they went."
Lambert is already facing three years, four months in prison. Sentencing is pending a pre-sentencing report by the probation department. A probation officer is sitting in on the hearing in U.S. District Judge Thad Heartfield's courtroom.
Testimony continues Tuesday with Detective Lewallen and Central bookkeeper Sharon George taking the stand.
