Quote:
Originally Posted by Sororitysock
I feel like a gambling addiction was possibly the primary reason she started and one of the reasons for continuing was a belief that she would eventually win big and pay it off without anyone finding out.
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Agreed. It seems like gambling debts aren't an uncommon situation when you read about various embezzlement cases. I'm sure there are cases where the gambling came first, which led to embezzlement to get access to more money, and cases where the embezzlement came first and gambling looked like a way to get a large amount of money fast to pay off the embezzled funds. Either way, people just get deeper and deeper into a hole and they can't stop gambling or embezzling because the two are linked.
I am profoundly shocked that there wasn't tighter scrutiny in place at UGA. I'm a department chair at a large state university, and this could just never happen. For purchasing cards, we have to reconcile monthly statements and upload receipts in a online storage system, our purchasing office conducts random purchasing card audits that are highly detailed (there is one employee for whom this is her ONLY job), budgets are closely monitored by the accounting office, etc. We don't have handwritten "blank checks" or department debit cards. I've also directed a number of large federal grants, and the university scrutiny there is also lock-tight. Our assigned accountant monitored our expenditures closely, as did I as the PI on the grants, and we were in frequent communication.
Same thing for my House Corp. Board service -- the co-treasurer and I always send each other receipts before we approve any check the other co-signer entered.
I just can't believe that this went on like this for so long. Absolutely mind-boggling and really sad. My best friend (and Sorority sister) is the President of another institution in the UGA system...I won't ask her about any confidential information, which she would not share anyway, but I'm also sure their purchasing practices oversight has been ratcheted up to much higher level.