Amid multiple cases of reported fraud among UF administrators, another former employee has been reported to have misused university funds for personal use.
Jennifer Beback, a former Warrington College of Business administrative assistant, failed to reimburse personal shipping she charged to the college’s FedEx account, according to an internal audit from Oct. 23.
Auditors found that between March 2013 and July 2017, Beback failed to reimburse 17 personal charges to the college FedEx account, totaling $455.48.
It was not uncommon for employees to charge personal shipping costs to the college’s FedEx account, so long as the individual reimbursed the college shortly thereafter, according to the audit. The college since announced internally the practice would no longer be permitted.
Beback abused this practice by instructing Joan Lyon, a Warrington administrative support assistant, to stop keeping track of her personal use related to the account, auditors found in August. Lyon told auditors she did not suspect ill intent because Beback was the office manager and her superior.
The college sent Beback a letter Oct. 4 terminating her employment. Instead of a three-month notice period, she was terminated immediately and given a $13,760 lump sum, reflecting three months of her expected salary before tax, per University Police, according to the letter.
Though small in comparison, news of Beback’s embezzlement is one of many cases this year of reported fraud by UF employees.
Since October, five UF Housing and Residence Education employees have been terminated in relation to the ongoing UF audit on top Housing officials, according to Alligator archives.
The audit accused former Housing senior director, Azfar Mian, and the former Housing finance director, Stina Schoneck, of co-opening a Campus USA Credit Union account and withdrawing about $470,000 in UF funds for purposes unrelated to the university.
In March, a UF Transportation and Parking Services employee was arrested for cashing $8,401.75 in fraudulent checks she wrote to herself between April 2016 and March 2017, according to Alligator archives.
The fraudulent checks, which went nearly a year unchecked, prompted UF to expedite the hire of a new assistant in the Office of the Controller, UF spokesperson Janine Sikes wrote in an email.
The new assistant, Olga Weider, a certified accountant and auditor, will begin Dec. 1. Weider has been tasked with helping UF keep financial accountability, Sikes said.
“We’re just a large, decentralized organization,” Sikes said. “Any additional help that we can have, that can reach out to the units and colleges across campus, the better.”
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