Wanetta Gibson, the woman who put aspiring linebacker Brian Banks in prison for five years by falsely accusing him of rape, also got $750,000 from the school district in Long Beach, California, by falsely claiming they failed to keep her safe from Banks. Now the school board is trying to get its money back.
The Long Beach Unified School District is suing Gibson, who claimed that Banks raped her at Long Beach Polytechnic High School while they were both students there. That accusation cost Banks his scholarship to USC, got him sent to prison for five years and appeared to end his football career until Banks got her to state in the presence of a hidden recording device that she had made the whole thing up.
“Our school district takes seriously our obligation to be a good steward of public funds,” the district said in a statement. “It’s important to convey that our school board will take action to recoup any losses if someone attempts to defraud our schools of much-needed resources.”
Even if the district wins the lawsuit, it’s unlikely that Gibson will ever pay anything close to $750,000, as she has reportedly spent all the money already and currently is poor enough that she and her children qualify for public assistance.
The school district also wants Gibson criminally charged, although prosecutors have said they have no plans to file any charges against her. Banks, who signed with the Falcons this month, has said he has forgiven Gibson.