Sondra Bell, 55, of Newark, NJ, was sentenced to five years for stealing over $87,000 from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Bell was previously employed as an administrative assistant for 24 years.
The theft from the medical school began in January of 2017 and continued until April of 2018, when the situation came to light. Bell was asked to purchase airline tickets for her boss to attend a medical conference but advised her boss that there was not enough money in their account to pay for the airline ticket. She admitted to stealing the money and asked for her boss to cover the stolen $87,000. Bell’s boss declined and authorities were alerted.
In April of 2018, the Ethics and Compliance Department at Rutgers University notified the audit group regarding a discrepancy in financial accounts of $87,145. During investigation, it was determined that Bell theft was through generating vouchers for personal use.
“The defendant was a trusted employee and she was respected in the community. Unfortunately, in her greed, she sold reputation, ultimately her freedom; and in the process, she harmed a program which served the most vulnerable in our society,” said Assistant Prosecutor Walter Dirkin, who handled the case on behalf of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Bell stated that the stolen funds were for personal use, such as paying for her son’s college tuition. On January 18, 2019, the defendant entered a guilty plea to second degree theft by deception and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
