Harvard Law Officials Stole From Disabled Students?
What is it with Harvard employees stealing from the university?
We're not talking about pencils here. We're talking about more than $100,000 to buy laptops, iPads, clothing, jewelry, and sex toys!
It gets worse. In the latest theft, apparently two Harvard law workers took money from a fund for disabled students. And one of the employees was a graduate of Harvard's divinity school!!
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, but first read this:
It's Horrifying
"It's horrifying," said Kristina Vu, a second-year law student who is blind and uses a guide dog to get around campus. "Knowing that someone is out there taking away those crucial resources from the vulnerable student population that needs it to succeed is honestly very appalling to me."
According to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS Boston, Harvard University police allege that Meg DeMarco, 33, and Darris Saylors, 32, police said the women stole about $110,000. The scheme began to unravel in 2013 after an internal audit. DeMarco and Saylors resigned during the investigation.
Saylors, who managed student programs at the law school, is now assistant director of the University of Chattanooga Honors College. DeMarco, who directed student affairs, is now associate director of the Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College.
Ms. DeMarco, a former intern for the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, allegedly used a mobile card reader to deposit school money into her banking account. Saylors, who holds a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard, reportedly purchased items on Amazon that included purses, clothing, jewelry, and adult merchandise.
Not the First Time
In 2016, another Harvard worker was convicted of using a business credit card to buy $80,000 of personal items. Shawn Bunn, then 45, was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the theft.
Bunn, who worked in a computer lab, used the credit card to make purchases online. He bought more than 200 DVDs, 100 CDs, gift cards, and seven controllers for a Nintendo Wii video game console.
To guard against more thefts, the university has changed its protocol for credit card use.
"As a result of this matter, the law school implemented additional layers of controls governing the use of its credit accounts and purchasing protocols," said Michelle Deakin, a spokesperson for the law school.
Related Resources:
- Citing Recent Thefts, Students Call for Security Cameras (Harvard Crimson)
- JD Sues Twitter and Her Alma Mater (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Pre-Law Students' Interest in Politics Jumps After Election (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)