FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — The former chief financial officer (CFO) of Indian River State College (IRSC) is suing the college, its president, and every member of its Board of Trustees, alleging whistleblower retaliation, breach of contract, and defamation — and backing up his claims with text messages he says show top leadership acknowledging fraud and financial mismanagement.
Marvin Pyles, who served as IRSC’s vice president of administration and finance and CFO from April 2021 until April 2024, filed the lawsuit last week in St. Lucie County Circuit Court. The complaint seeks damages exceeding $50,000 per count, reinstatement, back pay, and a jury trial.
According to the verified complaint, Pyles says he repeatedly raised concerns about fraud, gross mismanagement, and the misuse of taxpayer and donor funds — including allegations that state-funded nursing grants were improperly funneled into the IRSC Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity.
A former Indian River State College CFO is suing the college, its president, and its board of trustees, alleging he was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on fraud, financial mismanagement, and the misuse of taxpayer and donor funds. The lawsuit cites screenshots of text messages the former CFO says show the college president acknowledging millions of dollars in mismanagement, failures of oversight, and what he described as a “criminal enterprise” inside the college. (WPEC)
“I came to Indian River State College in good faith to do my job, and what I uncovered was millions of dollars in fraud,” Pyles told CBS12 News reporter Katie Bente. “I’m talking about false vendors, stacked purchase orders, and money being transferred from the foundation.”
The lawsuit alleges those disclosures triggered retaliation rather than corrective action.
Fired “for convenience”
Pyles says his employment was abruptly terminated on April 19, 2024, despite what the complaint describes as strong performance reviews and no disciplinary history. The stated reason for his firing, according to the lawsuit, was termination “for convenience.”
“My performance reviews were outstanding,” Pyles said. “I had received a glowing evaluation just weeks before I was fired.”
The complaint claims that explanation was pretextual and that Pyles was fired because he continued pressing college leadership and trustees about financial irregularities and compliance concerns.
The lawsuit names IRSC President Timothy Moore and all eight members of the IRSC District Board of Trustees as defendants, suing the trustees in their official capacities.
Text messages cited as evidence
Central to the case are screenshots of text messages included with the court filing and referenced in a press release accompanying the lawsuit. Pyles says the messages were exchanged between himself and Moore over several years and document admissions of financial misconduct and failures of oversight.
In one message cited in the filing, Moore allegedly describes foundation funds paying for European travel for an executive’s entire family, writing that the travel had “zero tax implications,” involved “no records,” and that the credit card used was personal and “not subject to auditors.” The message further states the board “never saw it” and signed off without knowing, according to the screenshot text.(WPEC)
In one message cited in the filing, Moore allegedly describes foundation funds paying for European travel for an executive’s entire family, writing that the travel had “zero tax implications,” involved “no records,” and that the credit card used was personal and “not subject to auditors.” The message further states the board “never saw it” and signed off without knowing, according to the screenshot text.
Other messages attributed to Moore reference tens of millions of dollars in financial issues, including what he allegedly described as “10M pissed away” and a “75M mismanagement scheme,” according to the filing.
One of the most striking messages quoted in the lawsuit states: “Steal from the college — get money or products or both Folks knew and looked away,” language now part of the public court record.
In a separate message dated September 2022 — nearly two years before Pyles’ termination — Moore allegedly wrote, “We have broken up a criminal enterprise,” referring to internal college operations, according to the screenshots attached to the case.
Alleged board failures
The lawsuit alleges the IRSC Board of Trustees, whose members are appointed by the governor, failed to fulfill their fiduciary and oversight responsibilities by not demanding audits or corrective action, even when problems were suspected.
Pyles also claims the board and senior leadership fostered a hostile and toxic work environment and later disseminated false statements about him after his termination, forming the basis of his defamation claim.
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State audit referenced
The filing notes that the Florida Auditor General previously cited IRSC for improperly funneling state grant funds to the IRSC Foundation, a finding the lawsuit says supports Pyles’ whistleblower allegations.
What’s next
CBS12 News reached out to Indian River State College for comment on the allegations and the text messages cited in the lawsuit. The college responded stating, “Indian River State College does not comment on pending litigation. Dr. Pyles has raised the same complaints in other forums and each time has been unsuccessful.”