January 21, 2026
Oakland, CA —District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson announced that Victor Dawson (52) has been charged with multiple felonies, including wage theft, tax evasion, and embezzlement from teachers and parents of students of New Horizons (K-8) School in Newark and Mission Hills Middle School in Castro Valley. Mr. Dawson was the principal of both schools and the owner of New Horizons.
Mr. Dawson is charged with 2 counts of felony wage theft, 2 counts of felony tax evasion, 1 count of misdemeanor tax evasion, and 1 count of felony embezzlement.
The criminal complaint alleges that in 2024, Mr. Dawson committed wage theft against 47 teachers and other staff members, the victims. The complaint further alleges that Mr. Dawson embezzled retirement contributions from six teachers, deducting money for the victims’ retirement savings from their paychecks and allegedly using those deductions for his own benefit. Finally, the complaint alleges that Mr. Dawson evaded paying state taxes and payroll taxes by failing to file the necessary tax returns, while allegedly deducting payroll taxes from the teachers’ paychecks and using those deductions for his own benefit.
“Parents trust that school owners will use tuition funds to educate their children and to compensate teachers for their hard work, not to enrich themselves,” said DA Jones Dickson. “This case represents a breach of that trust. My office’s Worker Protection Division is committed to prosecuting cases when workers are fraudulently denied their earned income.”
“Teachers and school staff are often underpaid for the vital work they do. Stealing from their paychecks or retirement accounts is illegal and a profound betrayal of trust that harms workers and destabilizes schools, putting students at risk,” said California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower. “After teachers came forward with wage theft complaints, my office conducted a thorough investigation and referred the case for criminal prosecution. We are committed to robust enforcement of our labor laws and will continue to aggressively investigate wage theft, protect workers who speak up, and work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold employers fully accountable.”
A civil judgment against Mr. Dawson includes wages owed to employees, labor law penalties, and civil penalties totaling $687,986.42.
Victor Dawson was arraigned on January 20, 2026, in Department 112 at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.
If you believe that you or someone you know may be a victim of wage theft, fraud, or other economic crimes, contact the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office’s Consumer, Environmental & Worker Protection Division: 510-383-8600 or Fax: 510-383-8615
Contact: damedia@acgov.org