A lawsuit filed in March 2024 accused Cristadoro and his company, Alliance Activation, of financial fraud.
Last month, in a consent judgment, Cristadoro admitted to misusing $250,000 from a client to pay off business expenses and credit cards.
Some say given Cristadoro’s past, he can’t be trusted to manage public funds.
“He is currently not only serving on our school board and making decisions about how our money is being spent, but also serves as the chair of our audit committee,” said Heather Tolley-Bauer with Watching the Funds Cobb.
Cristadoro released a statement saying he owned a small business that failed during the challenges of COVID.
“I cooperated fully with clients, partners, and the court to resolve all matters responsibly, including recently selling my home. It was a difficult and humbling experience, but it was a business failure, not a criminal act,” wrote Cristadoro.
During Thursday’s school board work session, Board Chair David Chastain did not mention Cristadoro by name, but talked about what happened in the past has no bearing on decisions board members make.
“This is a personal business matter which occurred before the member joined the board. Georgia law defines when someone cannot serve on a school board, and the law does not apply to this situation,” said Chastain.
