The chief motivation of middle school guidance counselors is toequip students with the necessary skills to transition fromchildhood to adolescence as gracefully as possible. However, a38-year-old North Plainfield, N.J. counselor is forfeiting hisopportunity to aid in his pupils' development after committinginsurance fraud and arson.

Kenyetta O'Bryant, a former adjunct professor who holds adoctorate, was working as a counselor at a Newark school when heclearly deviated from acceptable curricula. Motivated by greed,O'Bryant torched his pricey 2002 BMW -- for which he still owed$35,000, according to officials -- as well as a friend's ride inorder to collect insurance money.

Six days after reporting his car stolen and promptly setting itablaze, O'Bryant concocted a scheme with Terrance Wilkins, thenprincipal of Red Bank Middle School, to destroy Wilkins' 2004Acura. According to the prosecutor's office, Wilkins was trying toavoid paying $9,000 in mileage fees as his car's lease nearedexpiration. The charred Acura, which had been reported stolen, waslater located in the parking lot of Newark's Barringer High School.After testifying against O'Bryant at trial, Wilkins entered into apre-trial intervention program.

Because of their unscrupulous acts, both Wilkins and O'Bryantvacated their posts as principal and guidance counselor(respectively). O'Bryant pled guilty to charges of third-degreearson and third-degree insurance fraud. Consequently, O'Bryant willserve a 364-day jail sentence and has been banned from publicemployment in the Garden State.