You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
A former IT director at Webster University admitted in federal court Tuesday that he had defrauded his ex-employer and an IT equipment supplier of more than $2 million, Fox2 reported.
As director of information technology at the St. Louis institution in 2018, Ronald Simpson received permission from university officials to purchase hundreds of pieces of equipment for use on campus. But he sold the materials—worth over $1 million—to a third party, then falsely told the seller the supplies were defective. When he received replacement materials, he sold them off too, defrauding the IT supplier of $780,000.
Simpson sold the stolen equipment for $2.1 million total, prosecutors said.
In a statement to Fox2, a Webster spokesperson said the university ended its relationship with Simpson last year after learning of his scheme and notifying federal law enforcement.
“The crimes for which Mr. Simpson has admitted guilt represent intentional deception and deliberate violations of numerous policies and procedures that he was required to follow,” the statement read. ”We look forward to seeing this matter addressed through the justice system.”
The spokesperson added, “Over the past several months, we have enhanced purchasing procedures, protocols and audits to strengthen protections against this type of misconduct in the future.”
