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Post by krazykev on Dec 18, 2006 16:18:56 GMT -5
By Eric J.S. Townsend
Staff Writer
GREENSBORO – An N.C. A&T University vice chancellor faces embezzlement charges following an internal audit that alleges he created a slush fund to deposit rebates on technology equipment purchased for the school, arrest warrants and school documents show.
Rodney Emile Harrigan, 61, vice chancellor and CEO of information technology and communications at the university, turned himself in to campus police Monday, according to a news release faxed to the News & Record. Arrest warrants show he was charged with obtaining property by false pretense and embezzlement of state property.
Campus police alleged Harrigan funneled more than $70,000 to a personal account since May 2004. It was not known Monday afternoon whether Harrigan was the only school official suspected of involvement in the alleged activity. The detective who filed the charges could not be reached for comment.
It was also unknown what became of the money. Harrigan, of 5300 Bancroft Road in Greensboro, was freed from the Guilford County jail after posting a $25,000 bond.
"If you would like to print anything," Harrigan said Monday when reached at home, "please just say that I am innocent and I cannot make any further comments at this time."
University records show the school knew as early as November of irregularities with discretionary accounts opened by the information technology office in the North Carolina A&T State Foundation.
Those accounts were frozen Nov. 6, according to an internal memo to Harrigan from Interim Chancellor Lloyd Hackley.
Hackley, through an office receptionist who answered the phone Monday, directed the News & Record to speak with a spokeswoman through the university’s public relations department.
Details are developing.
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Post by dj98 on Dec 18, 2006 17:21:13 GMT -5
His hand was caught in the cookie jar.
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Post by aggiejazz on Dec 18, 2006 19:00:07 GMT -5
Don't be surprise if you see more names called out in the next few months.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Dec 18, 2006 19:02:36 GMT -5
He should have sent some of tha money over to the football program.
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Aggie77
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Member Since: September 2004
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Post by Aggie77 on Dec 18, 2006 22:18:58 GMT -5
$70,000 ain't worth it.
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Post by Aggieman95 on Dec 19, 2006 8:06:46 GMT -5
Especially when you have a career that pays 135K a year. |
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Post by Aggie One on Dec 19, 2006 10:44:38 GMT -5
After hearing the details about the evidence against him this morning driving into work, its no wonder we have money problems within the Foundation and all our departments in general or getting anyone to tell us the real truth about what the real financial picture is within the university.
Who's minding the store? Certainly it hasn't been the administration, the old or interim one and even more disturbing to me a seemingly clueless Board of Trustees.
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Post by captaggie on Dec 19, 2006 11:03:51 GMT -5
I stated in a thread weeks ago and I'll state again, there needs to be a change in many leadership positions other than the chancellor.
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Maxell
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Post by Maxell on Dec 19, 2006 11:29:26 GMT -5
There will be.
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Post by AggieMike on Dec 19, 2006 14:51:57 GMT -5
It's funny this came out. Me and some other students were talking about somebody was messin' up the books somewhere because we shouldn't be this broke. This confirms it.
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Post by Bigboy on Dec 19, 2006 15:59:48 GMT -5
It does not look good for him, but remember he has not been tried and convicted yet. Let's wait and see how this turns out. Dam! right here at xmas, can you imagine what his wife had to say to him when he got home??
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Post by dj98 on Dec 19, 2006 16:54:45 GMT -5
(It does not look good for him, but remember he has not been tried and convicted yet. Let's wait and see how this turns out. Dam! right here at xmas, can you imagine what his wife had to say to him when he got home??)
His wife is cutting him off if you know what I mean!!!! Hope he does not have any kids in the school system, It will be embarrsing for them too...
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Post by Bornthrilla on Dec 22, 2006 1:00:58 GMT -5
Editorial in today's New and Record:
Article published Dec 21, 2006
UNC and A&T leaders muster quick response
Serious charges against a top administrator put pressure on N.C. A&T State University to make sure there aren't even bigger problems.
Fortunately, help is on the way.
Rodney E. Harrigan, a vice chancellor for information technology and telecommunications, has been charged with embezzlement and obtaining property by false pretenses.
In a brief interview with a News & Record reporter Monday, Harrigan said he's innocent. A legal process has been set in motion to make that determination. For now, he's been suspended from work while investigations continue.
A&T officials say they became aware of problems thanks to an anonymous tip to a campus hot line established nearly a decade ago for reporting suspected waste, fraud and abuse. The information led to the discovery that rebates owed to the university were diverted instead to an unauthorized account within the A&T Foundation.
Interim Chancellor Lloyd Hackley quickly ordered accounts in Harrigan's office frozen. He followed up by requesting auditing and accounting assistance from the University of North Carolina system, A&T spokeswoman Mable Scott said.
"He has been very immediate in his response and very thorough," Rob Nelson, the UNC system's vice president for finance, said of Hackley.
Nelson is sending three financial experts to audit A&T's information technology office and to look into the foundation, "to sample some other accounts and make sure this is an isolated incident."
He said he believes it is, but added: "It's important that we make sure that if something's wrong we fix it and that there's not something else wrong."
The university intends to be "thorough and transparent," Nelson said.
The job could take "a few months, if not longer." In addition, one auditor "will be available at any time" to advise Hackley on other financial management questions, Nelson said.
These steps may be overdue if funds were diverted to an unauthorized account beginning in 2004 without prior detection, as alleged in the warrants against Harrigan. Investigators have to find out how that happened so that measures can be put in place to prevent it from occurring again.
There's no downplaying the disturbing nature of these allegations, but it's reassuring that A&T leaders have responded aggressively and that the UNC system is providing significant resources to help. Problems at one campus are the whole system's concern.
Ironically, Hackley has placed a special emphasis on ethics during his interim administration. Maybe that prompted the hot line call. It also guided the response.
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Post by Bornthrilla on Dec 22, 2006 1:03:24 GMT -5
Footnote: The Editorial page editor at the News & Record, Alan Johnson, is a long-time journalism professor at A&T. He actually taught me when I was in school.
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Post by AggieMike on Dec 22, 2006 1:37:48 GMT -5
lol I had Johnson TWICE. I actually talked to hm about my transcript not too long ago...
he teaches that same lead in newswriting to this day
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