Thursday, March 21, 2013

Illinois corruption 3/21/13: "Coffee Fund" college official pleads guilty

What can I say? Illinois is rotten to the core. Eight NIU employees face charges in what is being called the Coffee Fund Scandal.

From the Chicago Tribune:
A former Northern Illinois University official has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for his role in an alleged scheme to sell university scrap materials and deposit the proceeds in a private bank account.

Robert Albanese, 62, an associate vice president who resigned last summer, pleaded guilty Monday to violating the State Property Control Act and was sentenced to 18 months of court supervision and fined, according to court records. Charges of felony theft and felony official misconduct were dismissed, the records show.

"I have taken my responsibility for my end of it. I could have done a better job managing (people) or keeping track of state property," said Albanese, of Elburn, the university's former associate vice president for finance and facilities. "I am personally very glad that it is behind me."

The Property Control Act governs the use of university property and states that employees cannot use items for personal purposes.
That's not the only scandal at NIU, as you will learn in the related post. Albanese was earning nearly $200,000 per year when he resigned last year. He received a $45,000 severance upon his departure.

Related post:

Illinois corruption 9/5/12: $80,000 payout to two college administrators under investigation

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