DeSondra Michell Ward, Embezzlement, California 2016

Former Lawrence Hall of Science Employee Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Embezzlement

Oakland, CA – DeSondra Michell Ward, 45, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison for embezzling $389,948.57 from the University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science.

Ward pleaded guilty on February 9, 2016, to five counts of theft from a program receiving federal funds. She admitted to stealing the money while working at U.C. Berkeley from 2008 through 2014.

According to the plea agreement, Ward used the university’s travel systems to arrange personal air travel for herself, her family, and her friends, and also purchased tickets which she sold to individuals for her own profit. She also admitted to using her university-issued procurement card for personal transactions and processed vouchers to generate payments to herself, her family, and her friends.

The Lawrence Hall of Science’s FOSS program developed and maintains a science curriculum for elementary and middle school students. Each year U.C. Berkeley receives funding and other benefits from the federal government, with 25% of the Lawrence Hall of Science’s annual budget comprised of federal funding.

Ward was charged in an information filed on November 16, 2015, with five counts of theft from programs receiving federal funds in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(A). The sentence was handed down by The Honorable Jeffrey S. White, U.S. District Court Judge, following Ward’s guilty pleas to all five charged counts.

Ward was also ordered to pay $389,948.57 in restitution and to forfeit $308,817.58. She is currently out of custody on bond, but was ordered to surrender and begin serving her sentence on October 20, 2016.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Huang with the assistance of Vanessa Quant and Stephanie Mitchell. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with significant assistance from the University of California Police Department and U.C. Berkeley’s Audit and Advisory Services.

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