Bruh — as if Florida A&M University wasn’t already tied to enough scandals involving fraudulent financial activity, the school’s athletic director was recently arrested for allegedly using a corporate credit card for personal use at her former place of employment.
According to the Associated Press, FAMU Athletic Director Angela Suggs was arrested Monday and charged with grand theft and scheme to defraud, both of which are felonies. Suggs was also charged with four misdemeanor counts of false claims on travel vouchers.
From AP:
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Suggs made wire transfers, cash withdrawals and personal purchases at casinos during business trips while CEO of the Florida Sports Foundation.
The investigation began last November after the FDLE received a criminal referral from the Florida Department of Commerce’s Inspector General, which audited Suggs’ business credit card purchases and corresponding travel reimbursements at the FSF. The FSF is a direct-support organization operating under the Florida Department of Commerce.
The audit revealed that Suggs falsified travel vouchers by coding the unauthorized charges as meals, according to the FDLE. When asked about the unauthorized charges, Suggs claimed some were for business meals and others were accidentally charged to the business card. She failed to fully repay FSF for her personal expenditures, the FDLE said.
In all, Suggs, who turned herself in at the Leon County Jail before being released on a $13,500 bond, is accused of totaling more than $24,000 in fraudulent charges on the corporate dime.
“While the matter is unrelated to her duties as an employee at FAMU, we are monitoring the situation and will respond in the future as appropriate,” FAMU Interim President Timothy Beard said in a statement.
And we can be sure that FAMU administrators are damn relieved that, this time, the finantial fraud scandal has nothing to do with the university.
For folks who aren’t aware, FAMU was rocked with public scandal and embarrassment last year after administrators made a big show of accepting a $237 million donation from Texas hemp farmer Gregory Gerami that turned out to be a fraudulent gift of insufficient (actually, nonexistent) funds. The fallout resulted in an avalanche of resigning administrators, including FAMU’s beloved now-former president, Larry Robinson.
Welp, at least this wasn’t that. FAMU can’t catch a break, SMH.
