Tuition theft charges filed against BCCC administration worker

When the Baltimore police department investigates a non-violent crime, the criminal charges may depend upon a lengthy investigation. In the case of embezzlement or other white collar crime, it may take a while to scour through computer files. In those instances, a forensic accountant may be employed.

Recently a Baltimore City Community College employee was indicted following a grand jury investigation. The woman is facing 13 criminal charges for defrauding students and taking their money.

The accusations are a bit puzzling, if only because the so-called crime seemed destined to be discovered. According to news sources, the BCCC employee asked students to write a check to her personally when some students were paying their class registration fees. The checks then were allegedly cashed or deposited by the administration worker into her personal account.

Apparently these payments would often go unnoticed until the student would request a grade or transcript of the class and find out that he or she was listed as having dropped the class.

In all, about $8,000 in missing funds were involved in the grand jury investigation.

One of the students who attempted get a refund from the BCCC worker described the employee as very kind and helpful, although the money was never returned. A student who paid $574 in tuition directly to the BCCC employee said, “She seemed nice, and she seemed helpful. When you went there, she would do everything for you. But when it came to that money, I was confused, and when I called her, it was a different answer every time.”

The alleged incidents took place between February of 2010, and September of 2011.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “BCCC employee charged in theft of student tuition,” Justin Fenton and Kevin Rector, Dec. 13, 2012