Federal authorities have been conducting a long-running criminal investigation of Urban Prep Academies, a charter school operator on the South Side, according to grand jury records obtained by WBEZ and sources with knowledge of the probe.The U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago began the investigation in 2022 and has sought a wide range of records — including documents regarding Tim King, Urban Prep's founder and former chief executive officer.Investigators subpoenaed “any and all records pertaining to reimbursement payments made to Timothy King” and asked Urban Prep to turn over “all emails sent to or from” King’s account at the privately run, government-funded charter school operator.No criminal charges have been filed as a result of the investigation, which sources say is continuing.The release of the records comes as Urban Prep continues to fight to stay open over opposition from the Chicago Public Schools.Urban Prep initially denied requests for copies of federal subpoenas but produced the documents after WBEZ sued it for violating the state’s public records law, which applies to charter schools.King's lawyer Andy DeVooght says King “unequivocally denies having engaged in any wrongdoing.” He says King contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the schools, showed “unwavering commitment” to Urban Prep and had a “celebrated” career in education.“Even after CPS forced his resignation in 2022, Mr. King has continued to support Urban Prep by fundraising for its programs, personally donating to the organization and speaking on its behalf,” DeVooght says.Dennis Lacewell, Urban Prep’s interim CEO, says, “We do not believe that any current or former Urban Prep employee has engaged in financial improprieties.”Fighting to stay openFederal authorities began investigating Urban Prep after the CPS inspector general’s office had been investigating, records show. Deputy Inspector General Philip Wagenknecht won't comment.For years, the all-boys Urban Prep was acclaimed for getting 100% of its Black male graduates admitted to college. People magazine once called King its “Hero of the Year."But WBEZ reported in 2022 that Urban Prep faced such deep financial troubles that CPS officials expressed “grave concerns” about its sustainability. Related CPS cites Urban Prep, celebrated all-boys Chicago charter school, for ‘dismal’ financial management Tim King, once named People Magazine’s ‘hero of the year’ as head of Urban Prep Academies, resigns Sexual misconduct investigation forces out lauded charter school leader Tim King, sources say The school, which once was looking into expanding across the country, struggled to meet its payroll and was operating on credit cards, “predatory loans” and cash advances from CPS, according to a CPS memo.And CPS said they found no evidence that students were being provided special education services at Urban Prep to which they were entitled, WBEZ has reported.King resigned in August 2022 in the wake of a CPS inspector general’s report saying it had substantiated accusations of sexual misconduct with a student. King has denied that and criticized CPS for trying to take action against Urban Prep. Related Sexual misconduct investigation forces out lauded charter school leader Tim King, sources say CPS planned to take over the two Urban Prep schools. Last July, an Illinois appellate court sided with the public school system, ruling that the Chicago Board of Education had the right to revoke the charter it had granted to the operator.Lacewell says Urban Prep intends to stay open.“We look forward to working collaboratively with the new CPS school board to ensure families in our communities continue to have access to Urban Prep’s proven track record of success,” the interim Urban Prep CEO says. Students, alumni and supporters of Urban Prep Academies showed up for a Chicago Board of Education meeting on Jan. 15. Ashlee Rezin / Sun-Times Three subpoenasUrban Prep received the first of three grand jury subpoenas from then-U.S. Attorney John Lausch's office on June 6, 2022. it demand a long list of records from Urban Prep for its Bronzeville and Englewood campuses and a third school it operated at the time but later closed.Among the documents sought were “all accounting records related to payments to credit card companies” and documents pertaining to “non-payroll” wire transfers to King and two other Urban Prep officials, Troy Boyd and Cortland Smith.Prosecutors also asked for “records relating to gift cards purchased by Urban Prep Academies” and personnel and tax documents for King and others who worked for the charter operator.Urban Prep was given a June 30, 2022, deadline to comply with the subpoena but apparently it, according to an Aug. 31, 2022, email from then–Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Franzblau to Theodore Poulos, Urban Prep’s lawyer.“Thanks again for chatting last week,” Franzblau wrote to Poulos. “Can we set October 1, 2022 as a tentative date to complete Urban Prep’s response to our initial subpoena?”Franzblau also told Poulos that prosecutors “would like to obtain all emails in Urban Prep’s possession on Tim King’s account” and asked him to make sure to preserve the email accounts of Smith, Boyd, Lacewell and three others: Tanya Robinson, Craig Carter and Rose Jeffries.A week later, authorities sent subpoena to Urban Prep for King’s emails from 2014 through Aug. 1, 2022, and the charter schools board \'s meeting minutes and agendas for that period.The third subpoena, sent in July 2023, focused on documents regarding reimbursements made by the charter operator to King since 2017 and “any and all Urban Prep Academies policies and procedures pertaining to the use of school funds for travel, fundraising and other school-related events (e.g., per diem policies, allowable/prohibited expenditures).”Other records show federal authorities became involved in investigating Urban Prep soon after the CPS inspector general’s office wrote to the charter operator's lawyers about having failed to receive documents it asked Urban Prep for in early 2022.In a May 19, 2022, letter to lawyers for the charter school operator, investigator Matthew Frost of the inspector general’s office wrote, “Urban Prep has yet to provide requested records pertaining to its headquarters operations, which clearly relate to CPS funding and operations.”Frost wrote that his office’s “initial investigation has raised concerns of improper financial management” in Urban Prep’s central office including “misrepresentations on applications for PPP funding.”Urban Prep and other charter operators got funding from the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the federal government’s efforts to support the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.Suing to obtain recordsWBEZ was provided records related to the investigation only after suing Urban Prep in Cook County circuit court. Represented by attorneys Matt Topic and Josh Loevy, WBEZ argued that“Urban Prep willfully and intentionally, or otherwise in bad faith failed to comply with” the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.Last March, WBEZ sent a request to Urban Prep administrators for copies of any federal subpoenas or search warrants they'd received. In response, Urban Prep'sBoyd wrote last April 8: “Urban Prep has connected with its legal representatives and it is their position that the requested information, or at the very least some of it, is restricted from disclosure or other exempted under FOIA. If you have any authority to the contrary, our counsel will be happy to consider it.”A WBEZ reporter wrote to Boyd, citing a 2008 appellate court ruling against then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich that found that federal grand jury records aren't immune from disclosure under the state’s public records law.After Urban Prep didn't respond, WBEZ sued the charter operator last June. That lawsuit hadn't been decided when Urban Prep recently turned over the requested records, saying “an unfortunate misunderstanding/miscommunication” had led to the litigation over the documents.