Former College Dean Gets Year in Prison for Embezzling $650K From Student Group
“used debit cards linked to the organization’s accounts to make various personal purchases, including for trips to the Caribbean”
It seems like there is a story about some administrator stealing from a college or university every few months. It didn’t use to be this way. What changed?
From the DOJ website:
Former College Dean Sentenced to a Year in Federal Prison for Embezzling More Than $650,000 From Student Organization
A former college dean has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for embezzling more than $650,000 from a national student organization working to improve minority representation in the pharmacy industry.
While serving as the volunteer Executive Director of the student association, CARMITA COLEMAN withdrew cash and issued checks from the group’s bank accounts for her personal benefit. Coleman used debit cards linked to the organization’s accounts to make various personal purchases, including for trips to the Caribbean. She attempted to cover up the fraud by submitting false and misleading reports that concealed the withdrawals. When a new individual was appointed to replace Coleman as Executive Director, Coleman knowingly delayed turning over access to the organization’s bank accounts so that she could continue spending the money for her personal benefit.
During the fraud scheme, which lasted from 2011 to 2016, Coleman separately worked as a dean and professor at various colleges of pharmacy.
Coleman, 50, of Frankfort, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a federal wire fraud charge. In addition to the year-and-a-day prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly on Wednesday ordered Coleman to pay the remaining restitution of $490,528.
The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
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Comments
Why did she think she would get away with it? Were there successful examples she copied?
Who is CARMITA COLEMAN?
I looked it up, but I shouldn’t have.
Well, she’s doing her part to undermine the stereotype of who commits white-collar crime.
We’re hearing about more cases like this because university administrations aren’t so successful at covering them up. Universities used to avoid police investigations and trials of crooked administrators because they were afraid of bad publicity. Finding a way to ease the offender out later was the preferred course of action,
“It seems like there is a story about some administrator stealing from a college or university every few months. It didn’t use to be this way. What changed?”
“CARMITA COLEMAN withdrew cash”
All of the reports I’ve seen have one glaring factor in common: every one of the miscreants has been penis-challenged. Go back and check, I’m not blowing smoke.
Mike, is there a reason why your story does not report the name(s) of the colleges at which this woman was a dean? Kind of missing from the story!
Chicago State University. She was professor and Dean. The group she stole the money from was in the business of expanding opportunities for “People of Color” in the pharmaceutical industry.
4 Counts of wire fraud each with up to 20yrs in jail and she gets 1yr total. 80 yrs and all she gets is one year.